President Donald Trump has replaced the architect who told him his White House ballroom was over the top.
Trump had feuded with James McCrery II, whom he had personally selected to design his vanity project, over his wish to supersize the already extravagant ballroom.
McCrery urged Trump to exercise restraint, warning that the planned 90,000-square-foot addition would overshadow the 55,000-square-foot Executive Residence, according to The Washington Post.
On Thursday, the Post reported that McCrery stopped leading the project in late October and that Trump has tapped architect Shalom Baranes to take over.
When reached for comment, White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast in a statement, “As we begin to transition into the next stage of development on the White House Ballroom, the Administration is excited to share that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office — the White House Ballroom.”
“Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project.”
Baranes’ firm has designed government buildings in D.C. for decades, including the General Services Administration’s national headquarters.
A White House official told the Beast that McCrery was not being replaced and would continue on the project as a “valuable consultant.”
The shakeup comes after Trump issued a cryptic Truth Social message about the ballroom on Monday. The president curiously stated of the construction, “As long as we are going to do it, we are going to do it RIGHT.”
McCrery, whose firm is known for building Catholic churches, had reportedly told Trump that his ballooning vision for the ballroom risks violating a basic architectural rule: don’t let an extension engulf the building it’s supposed to complement.
But Trump has forged ahead with upsizing the ballroom, turning what was once supposed to be a 500-seat room into one that will accommodate 999 people. He wants it to potentially be big enough to host a presidential inauguration.
Meanwhile, the cost has climbed from $200 million to $300 million, which Trump insists he and his billionaire pals will cover.
A person familiar with the project told the Post that Trump and McCrery parted on good terms, and that McCrery’s exit mainly stemmed from his small team’s inability to meet the demanding deadlines Trump has set for his massive building.
Trump wants the ballroom finished by 2029–his second term is due to end in January of that year.
The White House has not released key details about the project, which hasn’t faced any official public review.
While Trump initially claimed that the ballroom would not interfere with the existing White House, the entire East Wing was demolished in October to make room for Trump’s inflated vision.
The Daily Beast has reached out to McCrery Architects for comment.
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