Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that construction of a new ballroom at the White House will begin in September.
The White House is “currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries,” Leavitt said, without having to install a tent described as “unsightly.” The project will add an estimated 90,000 square feet of space and will be capable of seating 650 people.
President Trump has chosen McCrery Architects as the lead architect for the project.CEO Jim McCrery said of the project, “Presidents in the modern era have faced challenges hosting major events at the White House because it has been untouched since President Harry Truman. I am honored that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People’s House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance.”
The $200 million project is funded by President Trump and “other patriot donors,” Leavitt added. The new ballroom will be “substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical,” she said. Its site will be “where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”
The project is expected to be completed “long before” the end of Trump’s term.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said of the development: “President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail. The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come.”
