Crews began moving back the fences surrounding Lafayette Square this week, allowing the public farther into the park in front of the White House than it has been able to get for eight months.
Visitors began noting Monday that they could now access as far as the fountains near the Andrew Jackson statue in the middle of the square. Before, the fences extended to the sidewalk adjacent to H Street Northwest, the square’s northern boundary.
A White House official confirmed to The Washington Sun that the fence was being moved back ahead of the expiration of a U.S. Secret Service request to close the park. The National Park Service initially closed the park and surrounding areas to the public for renovations in January. It was originally supposed to reopen May 31, but the fence has remained through the summer.
The official said the Secret Service “is working to make the park more accessible to the public while balancing the president’s security needs.”
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The latest closure letter for the park is a request from the Secret Service to keep the area closed through Wednesday to “ensure the security of the White House Complex, including to protect the President of the United States and other government officials.”
The White House official said a new closure letter to the National Park Service, indicating a larger portion of the park will be open to the public, should be posted in the coming days.
The Park Service did not respond to a request for comment.
The fence’s movement comes after the Secret Service, in coordination with the White House and Interior Department, proposed a plan in July to permanently place an 8- to 9-foot-tall fence around Lafayette Square to “enhance long-term safety,” The Washington Post reported.
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