The architect hand-picked by President Donald Trump to design the White House ballroom has butted heads with him over the massive scale of the project, according to a new report.
James McCrery II, the founder of McCrery Architects, has pushed to reduce the size of the planned 90,000-square-foot event space, arguing it could overshadow the 55,000-square-foot White House, four people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
Shrinking the ballroom down could avoid breaking a widely accepted architectural guideline: that an addition should not outshine the primary structure, the Post reports.
McCrery has privately voiced his concerns while continuing to work with Trump on project revisions, which the president spends time poring over, paying attention to every detail. The architect wishes to remain on the project, fearing that a replacement could result in a lower-quality building, sources told the outlet.
A White House official affirmed that Trump and McCrery have diverging views, but characterized their conversations as “constructive dialogue.”
“As with any building, there is a conversation between the principal and the architect,” the official told the Post. “All parties are excited to execute on the president’s vision on what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office.”
McCrery Architects, a firm known for its commitment to classical design, previously designed the Supreme Court’s bookstore and a pedestal for former President Ronald Reagan’s statue on Capitol Hill.
The company was tapped by Trump in July, when he unveiled his plans for the ballroom project, which has since sparked intense public debate.
In justifying his decision, the president argued a new event space is essential to accommodate large gatherings, noting that the White House currently relies on tents set up on the lawn for major events. He’s also said the ballroom, which is projected to cost around $300 million, will be privately funded. Among the major corporations that have stepped forward to donate funds are Amazon, Palantir Technologies and Lockheed Martin.
In October, workers quickly demolished the entire East Wing of the White House — which dated back to 1942 — in order to make room for the new space. Trump later told FOX News that he “could’ve built the ballroom around” the East Wing, but that he “didn’t want to sacrifice a great ballroom for an okay ballroom.”
Democratic lawmakers and historical preservation groups responded with outcry, accusing the president of failing to go through the necessary approval process before dismantling a large section of the historic complex. The huge project hasn’t had any public input either, the Post reports.
White House officials said they intend to submit plans for the ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission, a board established by Congress to oversee federal building projects, at “the appropriate time.”
Recent polls indicate the president’s grand plans have not exactly gone over well with the American public.
In an October Ipsos survey, 56 percent of respondents said they oppose Trump’s plan to replace the East Wing with a ballroom, while 28 percent expressed support for it. The renovations have fiercely divided the country along partisan lines, with 62 percent of Republicans in favor and 88 percent of Democrats opposed.
The new ballroom is the most extensive of the many modifications Trump has made to the White House since his return to office.
Over the past ten months, he’s repaved the Rose Garden, installed towering flag poles on the lawn and decorated the Oval Office with numerous golden accents. The president has also announced plans to build a victory arch topped with twin eagles along the Potomac River.
