Topline
The Trump administration on Thursday announced construction will begin in September on a $200 million ballroom at the White House that appears to be almost twice as big as the existing structure and will add an event space capable of seating 650 people.
A $200 million addition planned for the White House.
McCrery ArchitectsKey Facts
Called the White House State Ballroom, the addition will be approximately 90,000 total square feet, which is significantly larger than the 55,000-square-foot White House as it stands now.
Renderings show a massive building standing in place of the current East Wing, which serves as office space for the first lady and her staff, and connected to the main White House by an enclosed walkway.
Trump and his donors have said they will raise the funds necessary for the addition, which is expected to be completed “long before the end of President Trump’s term,” the White House said Thursday.
The White House called the ballroom a “much-needed and exquisite addition,” and renderings show a massive gilded space with coffered ceilings, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling arched windows.
The ballroom will be separate from the main building of the White House but its “theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical,” the administration said.
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Key Background
Trump has been talking about building a ballroom at the White House for a decade. During a 2016 campaign event in Ohio, he said he offered to build a $100 million ballroom during the Obama administration but his offer never went anywhere. Trump in February, while signing executive orders, said he offered to build a ballroom for the White House similar to one at his Mar-a-Lago estate while Joe Biden was in office, but “never heard back.” He said then that he would be pursuing the project himself and then in May told NBC News he was going to build a “world-class beautiful ballroom,” which “they’ve wanted for probably a hundred years at the White House.” In June, he posted to Truth Social that he would be funding the construction of the space and said other presidents didn’t have the experience to complete such a project. “But I do, like maybe nobody else, and it will go up quickly, and be a wonderful addition, very much in keeping with the magnificent White House itself. These are the ‘fun’ projects I do while thinking about the World Economy, the United States, China, Russia, and lots of other Countries, places, and events.”
A rendering shows a proposed 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House.
McCrery Architects
A rendering shows the view of a proposed 90,000-square-foot addition from the existing White House.
McCrery Architects
A rendering shows a proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition to the White House.
McCrery Architects