The White House will present new details on the planned East Wing ballroom during a Jan. 8 hearing.
Reuters reports the National Capital Planning Commission, chartered by Congress to manage planning for Washington-area federal lands, announced the Trump administration will offer an “information presentation” on the plans for the new ballroom, which is budgeted at $400 million and is being financed by corporate donations. The ballroom has created controversy after the Trump administration demolished the East Wing of the White House without advanced notice.
The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit to stop the ballroom’s construction, arguing that its proposed 90,000 square feet would overwhelm the 55,000-square-foot White House.
The National Capital Planning Commission is chaired by Will Scharf, a White House aid and former personal attorney to President Trump. The commission previously declined to review the East Wing’s demolition and the impact of the new ballroom on the White House complex. However, in a recent posting the commission said a formal review slated for the spring will consider lines of sight, public space, landscapes, and other structural issues.
Photo by G. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons
THis project is sorely needed to meet the demands of the White House. The East Wing was not part of the original building and will be a great addition to the complex. Yes, it should be reviewed to make sure it compliments the existing structures, but it should not be stopped. It’s way too late for that.
True! It could have been organized better, but the polarization of our politics today makes it difficult at best. Historically, there is some reasoning behind Trump’s action. Teddy Roosevelt started the Panama canal long before Congress got around to approving it. Reasoning that if he debated it first the project would never get done.
Did you just compare a historic, functionally important, globally important grand project (taken over from the French) to a vanity project rife with corruption that is going to be almost twice the size of the entire original building?
If you want to lick those boots, it is your tongue, knock yourself out, but do not pretend it is something ‘important’ when it is not.
It was lied about (as usual), there is essentially no functional oversight, and it opens up yet-another route for bribes.
Your dude is literally why I became an independent and left the GOP.
Thank you! Well said!!
Hear hear
Thank You for your thoughts ….. to compare the demolition of the East Wing for a “muchly needed Ballroom” to the Panama Canal is Insane !! I love American History, and I am recently watching the shaping of America after the Civil War. The Global impact of the Panama Canal is and was tremendous. It reshaped shipping and Industry as we know it today and It is an understatement to view it as anything but a fantastic achievement (All 53 Miles).
I sincerely doubt there will be a program comparing the two…
From Day One our Felon-in-charge has by passed Congress.
Look at Venezuela.
I applaud your comments, and I do sell Real Estate in Santa Barbara and Montecito.
None of the things you mentioned have happened or will. They did it the way they did BECAUSE they knew it was all being done illegally. Based on how this same administration views things done ‘illegally’, the whole thing should be taken back down and deported to a foreign country.
It was NOT ‘sorely needed’. They have events with foreign dignitaries on the scale of concern here about twice a presidential term…every two years. There have been ZERO incidents of safety since the history of the modern era. It is going to be another gold-laden boondoggle reflecting the megalomaniacal ego of the felon-in-chief.
Too many folks are normalizing his rampant criminal behavior because he favors some specific (and usually horrible) policy or personal attack on some minority group. You certainly come across as yet another.
Can you tell me why we need a 90,000sf ballroom when the whole White House is only 55000sf. It is for one reason only Trump’s ego. This is not his house it is the people’s house and he tore down years of history. It fits with his narcisstic little boy I get what I want attitude. He cares about nobody except himself. What he has done to the dignity of the White House is unbelievable and we are being laughed at by other world leaders that see his gaudiness. He never did have a design style except gaudy and hopefully a new administration will be coming in before this can be completed and do something more reasonable. All of you Trump supporters are just led down a path of whatever he does is perfect. Open your eyes, a ballroom almost twice the size of the whole White House? Take your blinders off.
His horrific taste in everything is probably why Melania doesn’t live with him. Probably the only thing she doesn’t agree with him on!
Can somebody even tell us WHY this is in the news for Realtors? It is purely political, has no relations to what Realtors do, and must be a space filler because the page doesn’t have anything better to post (somehow). How many other, ACTUAL stories are there in REAL ESTATE that could have been pushed out instead of this nonsense?
Because this news site also reports on significant historic properties as part of its coverage. We’ve been doing this for some time, too.
Well, I won’t miss seeing tents for special guests and government functions outside in acceptable weather since there is not room in areas of the White House for such functions. Those tents are an embarrassment to some and challenging to serve elegant dinners in such. Maybe it should be called something else for the Official Functions it can hold. Yes, please review the view from the White House; no obstructions?