Amidst a raging pandemic, first lady Melania Trump’s office announced on Monday the finalisation of the White House Tennis Pavilion — planning for which began in early 2018.

While the government remains locked on providing further economic relief to suffering Americans, the first lady’s office said the project included sprucing up an existing tennis court and children’s garden, in addition to the construction of the pavilion, which replaces a smaller structure.

Following the approval in June 2019 by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, Melania Trump in October that year first posted on her social media about the pavilion, sharing a photo of herself, ceremonial gold shovel in hand to break ground.

Then in a March follow-up post on the progress of the new building, she informed: “I am excited to share the progress of the Tennis Pavillion at @WhiteHouse. Thank you to the talented team for their hard work and dedication.”

The post, which was accompanied by a picture of Melania in a hard hat looking over the blueprints of the project, unleashed a wave of comments about the timing, as it took place just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to take hold in the US.

The backlash was swift and prompted a public defence from Melania two days later: “I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative (and) question my work at the ‪@WhiteHouse to take time and contribute something good (and) productive in their own communities.”

Meanwhile, the newly completed tennis pavilion, which is located on the South Lawn near Michelle Obama’s White House Kitchen Garden, will not be open to the public and is not a community project. According to the first lady it is meant to be used solely by first families for “leisure time”, as per CNN inputs.

As per reports, the funds to pay for the pavilion were provided by private donation facilitated by the Trust for the National Mall, which also solicited funds for Melania’s other project, the renovated Rose Garden.

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However, the White House has so far refused to disclose the list of the donors.

Last June, the National Park Service, which operates the 18-acre grounds of the White House, submitted a proposal for the new tennis pavilion to the National Capital Planning Commission.

The proposal outlined a structure that will be “approximately 1,200 square feet in area and approximately 18 feet in height,” “clad in limestone,” and with a “copper roof.”

The first lady’s interior designer also worked on furnishings for the interior, according to CNN inputs.