Donald Trump has replaced the chief architect overseeing his $300 million White House ballroom project amid disagreement over the building's expanding size. According to the Washington Post, James McCrery II and his architecture firm were reportedly replaced in late October.
Disagreements over size and deadlines
As per a report by the Daily Mail, sources say Trump and McCrery disagreed about the president’s wish to continue expanding the ballroom. McCrery’s firm was also accused of missing deadlines, and a relatively small workforce reportedly slowed work. A source told the Washington Post those issues were part of why Trump replaced the lead architect.
Shalom Baranes takes the helm
As per the report, the project is now headed by the veteran architect Shalom Baranes, whose firm has decades of experience designing government buildings in Washington, including the Treasury building and the General Services Administration headquarters. The White House emphasised that McCrery remains involved as a consultant.
“McCrery still remains as a valuable consultant on the ballroom project,” a White House official said to the Daily Mail. “This is not a replacement but rather a passing of the baton as the project develops into new phases.”
Ballroom plans and funding
Designed by Paul Rudolph, the proposed White House ballroom, paid for by top donors in tech companies like Amazon and Google, will measure an incredible 90,000 square feet, which is more than twice the 55,000-square-foot residential area of the White House complex. Critics have blasted him for destroying the historic East Wing, completed in 1942, to create room for the addition.
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According to the report by The Daily Mail, first, Trump had pledged that the East Wing would be renovated, not torn down. In July, Trump said, “It'll be near but not touching it.” But by October, he made it clear that “to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”
Since Baranes took over, crews have continued to prepare the site, including erecting a towering crane in a concrete paddock. White House spokesman Davis Ingle praised Baranes: “Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project.”
