The White House has tapped a new architect to lead President Trump’s White House ballroom project, after reports that he argued with the original architect over the size of the addition.
Shalom Baranes, a Washington architect, has taken over the role of lead architect for the project from James McCrery II. Mr. McCrery will stay on the project as a consultant.
“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,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle.
“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,” he said.
Mr. Baranes worked on the redesign of the Pentagon after the 9/11 attack, according to his firm’s website.
A White House official said Mr. Baranes is not replacing Mr. McCrery, but it’s instead a passing of the baton as the project progresses.
The ballroom has been planned to be a whopping 90,000 square feet. The White House itself is about 55,000 square feet, not including the West Wing.
The White House originally said the ballroom would cost $200 million, but it has since increased to $300 million. The administration also originally said it would seat 650, but Mr. Trump has maintained that that number will be closer to 1,000.
The East Wing was demolished for the project in October. Construction sounds can be heard from the White House.
Critics say the ballroom is too big for the White House, but Mr. Trump has said the project is necessary.
