Steve Bannon’s ‘Breitbart Embassy’ struggles to get fence approved

A metal, three-foot-high fence is planned for the D.C. home of Steve K. Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News and a former White House chief strategist, but it looks like these plans might end up not happening, according to the Washington Post.

Located in the 200 block of A Street NE, the home is in a historic neighborhood, causing the decision to build a fence to need to be approved by D.C. government officials. The Washington Post reports that the Historic Preservation Office did not sign off on the application for the fence and that the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) unanimously voted against the plans. Still, the Historic Preservation Review Board has final say.

ANC Commissioner Mark Eckenwiler’s statement on the fence was this: “We have United States senators who live on Capitol Hill, and they don’t turn their homes into security compounds. If they don’t need it, then it’s a little hard to determine how you could justify it in this case.”

The rowhouse, dubbed “Breitbart Embassy,” is owned by Moustafa El-Gindy, a former member of the Egyptian parliament. El-Gindy purchased the property for $2.35 million in 2009. Since Breitbart has operated in the building, New York Magazine described it as one of D.C.’s best party houses. Due to the usage of street parking near the home, one neighbor told the Washington Post that the house is a bit of a nuisance in the area.

• The owner of Steve Bannon’s D.C. rowhouse wants a 3-foot security fence. D.C. government is not having it. [The Washington Post]

• Inside the Breitbart Embassy, Where Steve Bannon Entertains Elites and Plots His Populist Takeover [New York Magazine]