Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project has flaws exposed by architects
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
President Donald Trump's White House Ballroom renovation has been scrutinized by experts who have called out apparent design flaws in his design plans.
The new controversial ballroom wing of the White House has had its proposal papers handed to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Commission of Fine Arts, which will lead to a vote being taken on accepting the plans on Thursday, April 2.
Donald Trump’s audacious project was previously approved by the US Commission of Fine Arts in February, but it needs to undergo a final approval process before it can go ahead.
Per The New York Times, the NCPC had been given 32,000 messages about the project, with one written by architect Donna Wax, who called the 22,000-square-foot area a ‘fascist take on classism’, while another added: "The size and design of the proposed White House Ballroom are hideous. I object to the decision to ruin the American public’s historical legacy."
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Now, other architects have listed all the reasons why the plans look like they’ll fail.
Just days before the final approval vote, an analysis by the New York Times revealed that the area, will upset the visual balance of the whole White House property.
This is because the West Wing will be big and bulky compared to the East Wing.
It will also ruin the original design by architect Pierre L'Enfant, who designed the building to be positioned to view the US Capitol, signifying the connection between the Capitol and the White House.
“The ballroom is literally an imposition between two branches of our government,” said David Scott Parker, an architect on the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, per The New York Times.
The proposed East Wing is around 60 per cent bigger than the White House residence area, making it the focal point of the property.
Other issues identified include the grand staircase in front of the proposed space, that doesn’t lead to the ballroom itself, as a side entrance is listed in the plans.
As for the number of columns on the building, the analysis says this will block light from reaching the ballroom.
However, Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, who also chairs the NCPC, told the outlet that the reason the project is moving so fast is because of Trump’s efficiency, noting: “If not for President Trump, his desire to move quickly, and his raising the money to fund this, a project like this could languish for years with no decision or action.”
He added that if Trump wasn’t moving things along, ‘we could still be debating it at NCPC meetings 20 years from now.’
Trump previously claimed the ballroom, which is estimated to cost between $300 and $400 million, would be designed without a single dollar of taxpayer funds, but would be privately funded by investors.
He wrote in a Truth Social post at the time he announced his plans to build the extension: "I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!
"For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!"
UNILAD reached out to the White House for comment.