White House Ballroom Plan Is Slated for Final Vote
On Thursday, the National Capital Planning Commission is expected to vote on the president’s 90,000-square-foot White House addition; review his plans for a White House visitor screening facility.
A Washington, D.C., design review panel, the National Capital Planning Commission, is set to cast a final vote Thursday on President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom as part of plans for a new East Wing addition that were submitted in January.
But what could keep the project from moving forward is an anticipated decision from a Washington, D.C., federal district judge that could halt construction of the ballroom. And, it could come in the remaining days before the end of the month.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in December trying to stop the construction of President Trump’s $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom after the East Wing of the White House was demolished in days last October. The National Trust is seeking an injunction by Judge Richard J. Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, and for him to rule that the proposed “East Wing Modernization Project” was out of the president’s scope of authority to construct unilaterally. The nonprofit chartered by Congress argues that Trump’s actions were illegal when he bypassed approvals for demolition and congressional authorization for the project. An injunction would stop the project while the lawsuit moves forward.
Earlier this month during a court hearing, Leon questioned a lawyer for the Trump administration over what the judge called its shifting rationale for the president’s authority, according to Reuters. The judge, noting that the White House grounds are a “special place” and an “iconic symbol” of the nation, reportedly described the administration’s argument that the ballroom was an allowable alteration to the White House as a “brazen” interpretation.
But the most consistent feedback on the president’s proposal has come from the American public, which has voiced overwhelming objections to the ballroom for its size and design. During the public comment portion of a National Capital Planning Commission earlier this month, more than 35,000 written comments were submitted and 104 people had signed up to speak. The reactions from architects, preservationists, professors, historians, former White House staff and ordinary citizens were predominantly negative and the people urged the commission, mostly filled with members appointed by Mr. Trump, to reject the plan.
On Friday, President Trump interjected a brief comment about the proposed ballroom when speaking about the proposed farm bill.
“I love construction,” Trump said. “I love building beautiful things.”
Many experts and professionals in the architecture and design industry have raised concerns that the proposed $400 million, 90,000-square-foot East Wing addition that includes a 22,000-square-foot ballroom is too big, too tall, too costly and too disruptive to the symmetry of the White House complex.
After the public comment portion of the meeting ended, commissioners unanimously tabled discussion of the project to April 2, when a vote on the proposal is expected.
Among the specific design concerns by experts were that the size and mass of the proposed ballroom diminishes the residence and cuts away at the intention of the initial design of the White House—that the president’s house should be the commanding, yet humble, presence of the complex and the West and East Wings should be subordinate and smaller.
Also at issue was how the size of the proposed East Wing introduces an imbalance between the structures with the ballroom dominating. Additionally, experts argued how the axis view on Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol—a foundational, intentional design by George Washington’s 1791 federal city commissioned designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant—would be forever obstructed by the ballroom. And, they raised issues with symmetry, a tenant of the White House’s classical design, as a result of the ballroom’s imbalance and how the structure would protrude into the South Lawn driveway creating a kink in its overall circular symmetry.
Other criticisms leveled included the design of the south portico of the proposed ballroom, which was modified from earlier versions by removing the pediment. Commenters took issue with the Corinthian columns on the portico because they appeared grander than the columns on the residence and blocked views out of the ballroom. The exterior stairs from the ballroom spilling out onto the lawn were also scrutinized for adding to the mass of the addition and providing no access to the ballroom.
When asked if the south portico of the ballroom was essential to the design, the White House-hired architect Shalom Baranes told the commission it was not.
“It’s really an aesthetic decision,” Baranes said.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation suggests with renderings of their own that many of the ballroom’s design issues, including the symmetry concerns, could be addressed if it was simply smaller. Commissioner Phil Mendelson, who has voiced concern over the size and scale of the project, questioned the need for 22,000 square feet for the ballroom when a standard industry size is 15,000 square feet.
Baranes said the extra space was needed to accommodate cameras for journalists, honor guard and additional security space to allow for emergency evacuations.
This week, the commission is expected to take a combined vote on the concept and final design of the proposed project, which also includes a two-story East Colonnade and an outdoor garden. The NCPC has closed the public comment portion for the proposed project. In February, another review panel for federal projects, the Commission of Fine Arts, approved the president’s plan, bypassing the normal procedures of considering preliminary plans first when it instead voted for its preliminary and final approval.
The NCPC on Thursday is also expected to discuss President Trump’s concept plans for a 33,000-square-foot White House visitor screening facility that would replace trailers that have been used in the past by Secret Service before visitors enter the White House. Plans show the entrance would be located at Sherman Park, next to the White House grounds, and that much of the structure would be built underground.
The Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the concept for the new White House visitor screening facility at its March 19 meeting supporting the project’s goals, but requested the president reconsider the design approach for the ground level.
The NCPC meeting is slated for Thursday at 1 p.m. EST and will be livestreamed.
Calendar
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