President Trump has tapped a new architect to help plan his $300-million White House ballroom wing, assigning the former lead designer to a consultant role in the high-profile and controversial project.
Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington-based architecture firm, will design the ballroom that will be built in place of the demolished East Wing, according to a White House official. James McCrery, who was previously named to lead the project, will remain in a consulting role.
“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,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
The White House did not specify why it was swapping architects on the project. The Washington Post reported that McCrery and Trump clashed over the scope of the project and that McCrery’s small firm wasn’t able to meet deadlines in the large-scale project.
Demolition of the East Wing, which once housed the first lady’s office, began in October. Trump has said the new ballroom will be 90,000 square feet and hold 1,000 people, a complex that will be much larger than the main White House building, which is about 55,000 square feet.
Cost estimates for the ballroom project have ballooned from $200 million to as much as $350 million. The White House has also said Trump is contributing to the ballroom project, though it hasn’t said how much.
Wealthy individuals and corporate donors — including billionaire Steve Schwarzman, Amazon.com Inc. and Coinbase Inc. — have also contributed funds for the project, which has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest for a president who has also regularly mixed personal business with official duties.
Trump unveiled his ballroom plans over the summer, after long complaining about wanting a larger room for entertaining at the White House. At the time, the president said the work on the White House grounds wouldn’t “interfere with the current building” and that the project’s plans paid “total respect” to the existing structure’s architectural style.
Clark Construction Group LLC is leading the construction of the new ballroom among other projects in Washington, including a renovation of the Kennedy Center.
Will Scharf, a White House aide and the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, said that the administration is slated to submit plans for the ballroom this month.
Woodhouse writes for Bloomberg News Service.
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