US Politics
Trump team looking at West Wing expansion after tearing down East Wing to make way for the ballroom
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After demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for his sprawling ballroom, President Donald Trump is now looking to expand the West Wing, according to a new report.
In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, the president said the designs for the addition, which he dubbed the “Upper West Wing,” are currently being drawn up. If he is happy with the renderings, he’ll proceed with construction.
Trump said that renovations to the West Wing — which houses the Oval Office and workspaces for senior staff — could allow for additional office space for aides or “future first ladies.”
The architect leading the ballroom project, estimated to cost $400 million, mentioned the proposal while presenting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission Thursday.
Architect Shalom Baranes said that the ballroom will be as tall as the main White House building and “the heights will match exactly,” The Independent previously reported.
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“I did mention the potential for a future addition, a one-story addition to the West Wing,” Baranes told the commission.“The reason to think about that is so that we would reinstate symmetry along the central pavilion of the White House.”
The architect said the West Wing addition would be restricted to “just the colonnade,” according to the Times.
“We have not looked at that at all yet, but hope to do so in the future,” he added.
Thursday’s meeting was the first time the public got a detailed look at Trump’s plans for the privately funded ballroom, which will cover about 22,000 square feet.
Commission member Phil Mendelson expressed reservations about Baranes’ ballroom proposal, saying he was “concerned” the massive new structure would dwarf the White House. The commission will vote on the project in early March.
The ballroom has faced pushback from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed a lawsuit last year accusing Trump of breaking ground before submitting plans to Congress or the planning commission — bodies which it argued must approve construction on federal park land in Washington, D.C. A judge declined to immediately stop construction on the project last month.
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Trump is also eyeing additional sites in in Washington, D.C. for redevelopment.
While giving Times reporters a tour of the White House, he said he wants to remove the bricks in Lafayette Park and install granite in their place, and he mentioned renovating Washington Dulles International Airport. Previously, Trump also announced plans to construct a triumphal arch near the Potomac River.
Just over a year into his term, he’s already made major changes to the White House, including by paving over the Rose Garden, installing two towering flag poles on the lawn, decorating the Oval Office with gold furnishings — and, most notably, destroying the East Wing.
According to an October poll by The Washington Post, 56 percent of Americans opposed demolishing the East Wing and erecting a ballroom in its place, while 28 percent expressed support for it.
