A day after beginning demolition on the East Wing of the White House, the Trump administration announced Tuesday it will submit blueprints for President Donald Trump’s $250 million White House ballroom to the agency that oversees federal building construction in Washington. The announcement followed criticism by Democrats and historians who argued a review process should have been conducted before the project began.
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The White House said it will eventually send its plans for the ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees construction in the District of Columbia and nearby states, according to a statement from a Trump administration official to Reuters.
“Construction plans have not yet been submitted to the National Capital but will be soon,” the White House official said, adding that the commission has no authority over demolition work.
Concerns among preservationists and Democrats
The National Trust for Historic Preservation requested that the White House halt the demolition until the commission can conduct an assessment. In a letter to the Trump administration, the organization noted concerns that the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom would “overwhelm the White House itself.” The White House currently covers about 55,000 square feet over six floors.
Pictures of demolition crews dismantling parts of the East Wing — first published by The Washington Post on Monday — raised concerns among preservationists and sparked anger among Democrats, who claimed the effort is an overreach by the Trump administration and lacks transparency.
According to the Post, the Treasury Department ordered staff not to share pictures of the demolition without permission. Some of the department’s offices sit in view of the East Wing.
Trump administration’s response
The Trump administration dismissed concerns as “manufactured outrage” and contended that past presidents had modified the White House as needed.
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The White House, which opened in 1800, has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms, and the last major renovation of the structure was between 1948 and 1952.
The bulk of the East Wing was added to the building in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt also added an indoor pool. A bowling alley and a balcony were constructed as part of a 1952 remodeling overseen by President Harry Truman, and President Barack Obama added an outdoor basketball court in 2009. No other project has transformed the structure to the extent of Trump’s ballroom, however.
A White House source told the Post that certain historic artifacts are being preserved during the demolition.
Demolition company flooded with negative reviews and comments
As the demolition continues, the company in charge of the project, ACECO of Silver Spring, Maryland, has been flooded with negative online reviews and social media posts, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Online critics are urging others to do the same, as some accuse Trump of using the project to further his personal desires.
The White House says the project is privately funded, but it has not released a full list of donors.
