By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has selected a new architect to oversee his $300 million White House ballroom project, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.
The change comes after the Washington Post reported Trump and the previous architect disagreed about the size and scope of the addition.
Architect Shalom Baranes will take over as the lead on the project from James McCrery, who will remain as a consultant. The Post reported that McCrery had advised restraint to prevent the new ballroom from dwarfing the existing White House structure.
“As we begin to transition into the next stage of development on the White House ballroom, the administration is excited to share that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
“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.“
Neither architect immediately responded to a request for comment.
SERIES OF CHANGES
Trump’s ballroom is one of several major physical changes he has made to the White House since coming into office in January. Trump had the lawn of the Rose Garden paved, creating a patio similar to the setting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and has installed gold decorations throughout the Oval Office.
But the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-metre) ballroom is by far the most significant change he has overseen and the largest construction project at the executive mansion in decades. The president had the East Wing of the White House demolished this fall to make room for the ballroom, drawing outcry from critics and preservationists and questions about oversight at such a historic building.
Trump has dismissed the criticism and said the White House needs a ballroom for state dinners and other major events. The president, a former real estate developer, is eager to have a large room, despite concerns that it might overshadow the main White House structure itself.
The National Capital Planning Commission may have some say in the ultimate size of the project. The White House plans to submit its proposal for the ballroom for approval by the NCPC, but has not yet done so. A top Trump aide, staff secretary Will Scharf, heads the NCPC. Trump aides have said the NCPC has authority over the construction phase of the ballroom but not over the demolition that preceded it.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Leslie Adler, Colleen Jenkins, Diane Craft, Rod Nickel)
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