Crews have started work on President Trump’s White House ballroom, which he intends to use to host foreign dignitaries and other important people.
Mr. Trump informed reporters gathered on the White House’s South Lawn last week that the work had just gotten started, according to Newsweek.
Initial work includes removing trees and shrubs and digging into the South Lawn in preparation for future work. A White House official said the project is in the “preservation stage” and that foliage is being moved off-site for safekeeping, according to The Washington Post.
“The White House is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance,” the White House said in a statement on July 31 regarding the future ballroom.
Mr. Trump said his predecessors wanted to build a ballroom at the White House for 150 years.
While the July statement indicated the ballroom would be able to fit 650 people, Mr. Trump told NBC News that “we’re making it a little bigger. It will be top of the line, as good as it can get anywhere in the world,” with a capacity for 900 people.
The construction is expected to cost $200 million. In addition to private donors, Mr. Trump told NBC News he’s personally contributing funds toward building the ballroom.
The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to get involved in the later stages of the ballroom’s construction. Commission Chair William Scharf, appointed to that role by Mr. Trump in July, said at the agency’s Sept. 4 meeting that the body does not have jurisdiction over “demolition and site preparation work,” which is ongoing.
