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White House Ballroom Vote Delayed After Overwhelming Opposition
The federal commission reviewing the proposed $400 million ballroom addition to the White House has postponed their vote on the project due to overwhelming opposition to the project—from architects, organizations, and civilians alike. After a March 6 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the vote is now delayed to April 2.
On March 3, the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) sent a letter to William Scharf, chair of the NCPC, urging that the organization reconsider the project. Citing the White House's status as one of the most historically significant buildings in the country, the SAH said that this project will negatively affect the historic landmark.
Chief among their complaints: the addition's size and scale are incongruous with the rest of the building, it has architectural details that are incompatible with the main building, and it will alter key views of the White House.
Proposed by Donald Trump several months ago, the new 89,000 square foot ballroom (the main White House residence is just 55,000 square feet) is slated to replace the now-demolished East Wing of the White House and would cost $400 million. Trump has said the new ballroom would be paid for by private donors.
Ahead of the March 6 meeting, over 30,000 members of the public wrote comments to the NCPC regarding the new ballroom. Around 98% were in opposition to the project, with a New York Times analysis noting that comments called the addition "gaudy."
Dozens of architects, preservationists, and regular citizens alike weighed in at the March 6 meeting in an overwhelmingly negative fashion, too. Prominent critics included Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, who noted that the proposed design doesn't honor the principles of historic preservation.
Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, proposed a ballroom on a smaller scale, and Priya Jain, chair of the Heritage Conservation Committee of the SAH, criticized the rushed timeline of such a consequential and historically significant project, according to the Architect's Newspaper.
Other commenters called the proposed plan “grandiose,” “out of whack,” and “a golden invitation for corruption,” according to Punch List Architecture Newsletter.
Shalom Baranes, the ballroom project's current architect, noted some new changes to the plan at the March 6 meeting, including the removal of a proposed pediment so the addition won't exceed the 60-foot height of the executive mansion's main building.
A vote is expected at the NCPC's next meeting on April 2, which won't include any public testimony.
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