The architect hired to design the new White House ballroom Jan. 8 unveiled more of the project’s details of the controversial 89,000-square-foot project.
Shalom Baranes, the ballroom’s lead architect, presented the information to the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency that oversees federal construction projects in and around Washington, D.C.
According to Bloomberg, the new ballroom on the East Wing will include a major banquet hall, offices for the First Lady, and a movie theater. At 22,000 square feet, the banquet hall will be one of the largest in the capital city, according to the outlet.
The project will stand at 51 feet and consist of two levels, bringing it to the same height as the main White House mansion, the Washington Post reported.
“The heights will match exactly,” Baranes said during the presentation, according to the Post.
As CatholicVote previously reported, the White House announced the project in July 2025. It is being funded by President Donald Trump and a group of private donors.
According to CNN, the new ballroom will likely save a significant amount of money on large events. Currently, any White House event with more than 200 guests needs to be held outside with large temporary tents that have to be put up and taken back down. These outdoor tents and attendant expenses mean that every outdoor event costs tens of thousands of dollars. The ballroom will provide a secure permanent hosting space for major events.
Baranes noted that once construction is complete on the East Wing, the construction will begin on an addition to the West Wing to restore the White House’s “symmetry,” according to NBC News.
The project has stirred controversy, in part for beginning demolition before going through the standard review process for new federal construction projects. In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation opened a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the project, according to ABC News.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the National Trust’s complaint said, according to ABC News. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
In December, a federal judge declined to stop work on the project, according to CNN.
The White House defended the actions, pointing to Harry Truman’s reconstruction of the White House and John F. Kennedy’s restoration of the historic building.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House — just like all of his predecessors did,” Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, said, according to ABC News.
Steven Cheung, White House director of communications, posted on X that The National Trust is “run by a bunch of loser Democrats and liberal donors who are playing political games.” In a comment on the post, he posted a screenshot listing employees’ donations to progressive causes.
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