The Obama administration abruptly scrapped plans to renovate the White House bowling alley less than two hours after announcing the project,
Time reported.
The General Services Administration posed a notice on Wednesday looking for bids to demolish and rebuild the two lanes at the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley, according to the magazine's website.
But after a series of news reports quickly surfaced about the proposal, the GSA canceled the notice 90 minutes later. The White House later confirmed that the project had been dumped indefinitely, without revealing how much the replacement would have cost.
The lanes, which are reserved exclusively for the use of White House staff and guests, were built in the 1940s and are located in the 18-acre compound near the West Wing.
A separate one-lane bowling alley lies under the North Portico of the White House for use by the first family and guests, and was added by avid bowler Richard Nixon in 1969, Time said.
"It has been 15 years since these lanes have had any professional, industry standard maintenance, modifications, repairs or attention," the GSA wrote in the initial posting. "They are now irreparable."
The GSA said that it wanted "green" materials "specifically for the lanes, approach and pin deck," while also calling for all replacement items to meet industry standards.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus poked fun at the Obama administration for having its priorities all wrong in a tweet on Wednesday. "Barack Obama’s priorities: The Economy. Secure Border. WH Bowling Alley."
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