White House fence has evolved, from a wrought-iron decoration to a line of defense

[DCPatriot]

White House fence has evolved, from a wrought-iron decoration to a line of defense
By David A. Fahrenthold


The fence itself is 7 feet 6 inches tall. It is made of evenly spaced iron bars, mounted in a Virginia sandstone base. At the top of the bars — the last physical obstacle between the public sidewalk and the knob on the White House door — are little spear points, called finials.

Over the last 49 years, a lot of things have changed on the north side of the White House compound. Outside the grounds, the street is studded with car-stopping bollards, the result of 1980s fears about truck bombs. Pennsylvania Avenue — once a busy, honking commuter route — is quiet and empty, closed after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Inside, special teams are deployed to send attack dogs after intruders who make it to the lawn.

What hasn’t changed is the fence between them.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-fence-has-evolved-from-a-wrought-iron-decoration-to-a-line-of-defense/2014/09/22/e5f21898-4294-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html