5 ways White House banquet planning changed
President Trump has always had extravagant plans for renovating the White House ballroom, but the scope of the project continues to expand.
White House officials have fired all six members of the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, the federal agency tasked with advising on design elements for the $300 million new White House ballroom backed by President Donald Trump.
The move comes just one week after the entire east building was demolished to make way for a 90,000 square foot ballroom. Preservationists and critics, including former first lady Hillary Clinton, have condemned the demolition.
A White House official told USA TODAY that the administration is preparing to appoint new members to the committee who will be “more aligned with President Trump’s America First policies.”
This commission was established by Congress in 1910 and is tasked with providing expert advice on matters of design and aesthetics to the President, Congress, and other prominent figures.
Last week, the National Trust for Preservation asked the administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until the proposed ballroom project “goes through the legally mandated public review process, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Fine Arts Commission.” Both committees have the authority to review new construction of the White House.
The 90,000-square-foot new construction “will dwarf the White House itself,” Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust, said in a letter to the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service and Commission on the Arts. The White House is 55,000 square feet.
“[The addition]also has the potential to permanently disrupt the White House’s carefully balanced classical design, which has two small, low wings, an east wing and a west wing,” Quillen wrote.
The White House says no approval is needed for the demolition. He said plans for the ballroom would be submitted to the NCPC “in the near future.”
The commission is also tasked with advising the U.S. Mint on the design of coins and medals and approving the location and design of national monuments both in the United States and abroad.
President Trump has also proposed building an arch across from the Lincoln Memorial. The arch, which resembles the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was intended to serve as a gateway into Washington from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia via the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
The commission is made up of seven members, including architects, planners, and design experts, and is appointed by the president for a four-year term. One seat is currently vacant, according to White House officials.
All current members will be selected by former President Joe Biden starting in 2021, with two members joining the board in 2024.
