The White House submits the plan this month, and the National Capital Planning Commission is expected to consider the proposal early next year.
New architect tapped to lead White House ballroom project
Plans for the White House ballroom are moving forward under new architectural guidelines after controversy over the project’s size.
WASHINGTON – Architectural plans for the new White House ballroom, which President Donald Trump described as “beautiful and spectacular,” are finally ready for prime time, months after the project was officially announced.
Will Scharf, the Trump-appointed chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said on Dec. 4 that the White House would submit a plan for review this month. The commission, which oversees the development of federal property in the Washington, D.C., area, was not consulted when the East Building was demolished in October to make way for a banquet hall.
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires a review of projects that affect historic buildings, and excludes the White House, Supreme Court building, and U.S. Capitol.
Contrary to tradition, the White House chose to forego submitting plans for demolition of the East Tower. President Trump’s White House insists the commission has jurisdiction only over construction, not the demolition of federal buildings. Under previous administrations, even minor renovations or changes to buildings such as sheds went through a review process.
The project came under severe criticism from former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, as well as preservationists, when the entire east wing was demolished without prior notice to make way for the ballroom on October 20th.
Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust for Preservation, said Trump’s project would be 90,000 square feet of new construction and “will dwarf the White House itself” at 55,000 square feet, adding that “(the addition) could permanently disrupt the White House’s carefully balanced classical design with its two small, low east and west wings.”
President Trump said the project he is leading will take many years, writing in Truth Social earlier this year: “This is something that has been needed and wanted in the White House for more than 150 years, something that no other president has had the ability to do. But I can do it, and as long as I do it, I’m going to do it right.”
Here’s a summary of where construction currently stands on the $300 million ballroom.
Has construction already begun on the White House ballroom?
Pictures of an excavator parked on the east side of the White House are posted everywhere. After all, they contributed to the downfall of the East Wing.
Part of the White House grounds has been converted into a construction zone, and construction on the new building has not yet begun, although President Trump recently said first lady Melania Trump was bothered by the sound of pile drivers.
White House officials said the deafening sounds were the result of ongoing demolition work. The White House says construction will begin once the project is approved by the NCPC, the only planning agency authorized to review construction. Experts point to this as a loophole in federal law. Although the committee can make recommendations, it has no explicit power to reject projects.
The committee meets monthly, meaning if a plan is submitted this month, it should be on the agenda by early next year, an NCPC spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Looking at the bigger picture, President Trump has said he wants to complete the banquet hall construction project by the end of his term in January 2029.
Will the banquet hall be larger than originally proposed?
When first proposed in July, Trump’s ballroom was priced at $200 million. Now it’s $300 million.
The White House also announced that the banquet hall would have a capacity of 650 people, but the president later said it could host closer to 1,000 people.
In an October post on Truth Social, President Trump explained that the price increase was due to “doubling the size and providing the highest quality finishes and interiors.”
“Also, column SPAN has been significantly increased for viewing purposes. As my job always is, we are actually on budget and ahead of schedule,” Trump wrote. “It turned out to be much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned.”
Asked to explain Trump’s remarks, a White House spokesperson said venue capacity could change based on the layout of the event being hosted. For example, a seated event with tables and chairs can be very different from a standing-room-only event that can theoretically accommodate twice as many people.
Who is the lead architect for the ballroom project?
Trump likes to say that his background as a real estate developer uniquely positions him to do what he does best. Still, he has relied on experts to do the difficult work.
Architect James McCreary II was originally brought in by Trump as lead architect in July with a splashy announcement and a rendering of the gilded, cavernous ballroom.
But that relationship appeared to rift last month over McCreary’s recommendation for “restraint” over concerns that the ballroom could “dwarf” the 55,000-square-foot executive mansion, The Washington Post reported.
White House press secretary Davis Engle told USA TODAY that McCreary will remain as a consultant, but a new Washington, D.C.-based architecture firm, Shalom Baranes, has been hired to lead the project. The company helped modernize and restore the Treasury Department’s main building adjacent to the White House.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal..
