The White House will soon kick off the construction works of a new $200m ballroom. The White House Ballroom is expected to be ready before Donald Trump ends his term in early 2029.
According to the, Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the building will be 90,000 sq ft. Additionally, it will hold up to 650 seats.
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Project Factsheet
Project name: White House Ballroom Project. It is also referred to as the White House State Ballroom.
Location: The ballroom will be built on the site of the current East Wing. The new structure will be “substantially separated” from the main building of the White House. However, it will have a similar architectural style.
Size: Approximately 90,000 square feet
Capacity: A seated capacity of 650 people, a significant increase from the East Room’s capacity of about 200.
Cost: The estimated construction cost is approximately $200 million.
Financiers: The project will be paid for by President Donald Trump and other private donors.
Developers:
- Lead Architect: McCrery Architects. This is a Washington, D.C.-based firm known for classical architectural design.
- Construction team: Clark Construction will lead the construction, and AECOM will provide engineering support.
Significance of the Project
The ballroom project will be the latest change introduced to what is known as “the People’s House” since the Republican president assumed residential duties in January. Furthermore, it will be the first structural change to the executive mansion itself since the addition of the Truman Balcony in the year1948.
Currently, the White House is unable to hold large-scale events, given the 200-person capacity that is locatedin the White House’s East Room. During a phone interview with NBC News, Trump pointed to the White House’s set-up for large-scale events, which makes it necessary to ferry guests to tents set up on the South Lawn.
“In case it rains or snows, it becomes a disaster,” Trump stated, pointing out that tents are currently set up “a football field away from the White House”.
According to Trump’s view, a new ballroom has long been in demand.
“I am currently doing a lot of improvements,” Trump said to NBC. “I will be constructing a beautiful ballroom. They wanted the ballroom for many, many years.”
White House Ballroom Project Financiers
Furthermore, Levitt stated that the funding for the addition will come from Trump, as well as other “patriot donors”, according to the White House website, leading Trump to label the project as “his gift to the country”.
Developers of the Project
McCrery Architects has been selected to complete the design. Furthermore, Clark Construction has been selected as the construction lead. Lastly, AECOM will handle the engineering works.
The ballroom will be separate from the main building of the White House. It will be taking the place of the current East Wing.
The ballroom project fits nicely in the wheelhouse of America’s real-estate magnate president, who has taken the presidential tradition of redecoration a step further. As Trump’s past changes, such as paving portions of the Rose Garden and layering gold filigree throughout the White House, are easily reversible, a new ballroom building would last long after Trump leaves office.
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