A $253,000 government contract has been awarded for lighting work at the two-lane bowling alley in the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, close to the White House.
The contract was issued by the General Services Administration on 28 July under the Executive Office of the President and went to Washington-based construction firm Charles Mann Enterprises.
White House officials said the work involved routine maintenance, including replacing broken light fittings, rather than a major refurbishment. A spokesman added that Donald Trump was not involved in the project and that the facility had hosted nearly 10,000 guests over the past year.
White House bowling alley work draws scrutiny
The spending is likely to attract attention as the Trump administration oversees a series of costly changes around the White House complex, including work linked to the Rose Garden, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a proposed ballroom.
An additional contract worth about $8,800 was awarded to Charles Mann Enterprises in August for escort services connected with the bowling-alley work. The payment covers accompanying contractors through secure areas of the White House complex.
The company has received at least $3 million in recent federal contracts, including projects to repair a roof and an air-conditioning system. Its founder, Charles Mann, is a former professional American football player who won three Super Bowls during a decade with the Washington Redskins.
Federal procurement records also show that the firm received a separate $878,000 contract for an “EEOB basement studio project”. The records do not provide further details about that work.
The bowling alley, named after Harry S. Truman, was first installed in 1947 after a group of Missourians presented it to the president for his 63rd birthday. Truman was said not to have bowled since he was a teenager.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower moved the two lanes to the basement of what was then known as the Old Executive Office Building in 1955. The building was later renamed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
A separate, one-lane alley was installed beneath the White House during Richard Nixon’s presidency in 1973. Nixon was an enthusiastic bowler, while Trump has spoken more publicly about his interest in golf and American football.
A proposed rebuild of the two lanes during Barack Obama’s presidency was abandoned in 2014 after Republicans criticised the use of public funds on an exclusive facility. The plan was dropped shortly after details of the proposal became public.
