NPS says White House ballroom due Summer 2028; EA finds no significant impact despite East Wing demolition
The National Park Service’s environmental assessment projects the new White House ballroom will be completed in Summer 2028 and concludes the project would have "no significant impact" under NEPA even as demolition of the East Wing and East Colonnade proceeds, while acknowledging permanent adverse changes to the historic setting and views and the removal of some landscaping (including 1940s Southern Magnolias) even as certain artifacts are being preserved. The White House has added Shalom Baranes Associates (with McCrery Architects consulting) as designers as construction — begun in October — advances on a roughly 90,000‑square‑foot, 999‑person ballroom now estimated to cost $300 million, which officials say will be privately funded by donors and the president.
📌 Key Facts
- The White House is expected to submit detailed ballroom plans to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) this month; NCPC Chair Will Scharf said the commission will review them at a 'normal and deliberative' pace.
- The planned ballroom is about 90,000 square feet (nearly double the size of the main White House) with a stated capacity of 999; President Trump has said the design is larger than originally planned and that the column span has been substantially increased.
- Project cost is now estimated at roughly $300 million (up from an earlier $200 million estimate); the White House and President Trump say the work will be privately funded by donors and the president rather than by taxpayers, and the administration has released a donor list naming 37 donors.
- Construction began in October 2025 and has included demolition of the East Wing, East Colonnade and parts of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden; recent site photos show the former East Wing area in rubble.
- The National Park Service environmental assessment (EA) projects ballroom completion in Summer 2028 and concludes the project will have 'no significant impact' under NEPA, while acknowledging adverse changes to the historic setting and certain views.
- The EA documents design and connection details: deconstruction of the East Wing/East Colonnade, a bi‑level corridor attaching the new annex to the Executive Mansion, a white‑painted exterior with historically compatible windows/doors and roof, and interior finishes such as stone slab flooring, decorative plaster moldings and high‑quality elevator finishes.
- Landscaping and setting impacts noted in the EA include removal of commemorative Southern Magnolias from the 1940s and permanent alteration of views from Lafayette Park and the Ellipse; the EA also lists preserved artifacts (East Wing cornerstone and 1942 bronze plaque, two fanlight windows, Kennedy Garden arbor, wood paneling, light fixtures, interior columns).
- Operational and administrative details: the East Wing will continue to serve as the visitor entrance, new ground‑floor restrooms will support South Lawn events, and the EA was prepared by NPS Deputy Director Frank Land and approved by Acting Director Jessica Bowron.
📊 Relevant Data
The East Wing of the White House was originally built in 1902 as a visitors' entrance and was significantly expanded in 1942 during World War II to cover the construction of an underground bunker and provide space for additional staff and offices.
A Brief History of the White House East Wing — Town & Country Magazine
The White House is exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which allows the president to make changes without the standard review process required for other historic sites.
The decades-old exemption that lets Trump fast-track White House changes — BBC
Major historical renovations to the White House include the 1902 renovation under President Theodore Roosevelt, which added the West Wing, and the 1949-1952 renovation under President Harry Truman, which involved completely gutting and rebuilding the interior due to structural issues.
A Timeline of White House Renovations Through the Years — Architectural Digest
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"A celebratory Fox News opinion piece praises Melania Trump’s 2025 White House Christmas decorations as a patriotic, family‑focused continuation of first‑lady tradition while downplaying disruption from the ongoing East Wing demolition/ballroom construction."
📰 Sources (6)
- National Park Service environmental assessment projects ballroom completion in Summer 2028.
- NPS EA concludes the project will have 'no significant impact' under NEPA, while acknowledging adverse changes to the historic setting and views.
- EA confirms East Wing and East Colonnade deconstruction and details a bi‑level corridor attaching the annex to the Executive Mansion.
- Design specifics: white-painted exterior, historically compatible windows/doors, compatible roof; interiors with stone slab flooring, decorative plaster moldings, high-quality elevator finishes.
- Landscaping impacts include removal of commemorative Southern Magnolias from the 1940s; views from Lafayette Park and the Ellipse will be permanently altered.
- Artifacts preserved: East Wing cornerstone and 1942 bronze plaque, two fanlight windows, Kennedy Garden arbor, wood paneling, light fixtures, interior columns.
- Operational details: East Wing will continue serving as visitor entrance; new ground-floor restrooms will support South Lawn events.
- Document signatories: prepared by NPS Deputy Director Frank Land and approved by Acting Director Jessica Bowron.
- New site photos (Dec. 8) show the former East Wing area is now rubble as demolition advances.
- Trump said the ballroom will be “double the size” of what was originally planned and that the “column span has been substantially increased.”
- Trump claimed the project is “under budget and ahead of schedule,” but did not provide a new completion date.
- He emphasized that no taxpayer dollars are being used and reiterated that the East Wing and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden were taken down for the project.
- White House says President Trump has hired Shalom Baranes Associates to lead the next phase and oversee the ballroom design; McCrery Architects remains a consultant.
- Construction began in October and included demolition of the White House’s East Wing, with heavy machinery on site (photos referenced).
- Project cost is now pegged at $300 million, up from a $200 million estimate in July.
- Named White House spokesperson Davis Ingle provided on‑record statements praising Baranes and framing the project as the 'greatest addition since the Oval Office.'
- Trump, in a cabinet meeting, acknowledged constant construction noise and said the ballroom will be completed before the end of his term.
- White House added Shalom Baranes as a second architectural firm for the ballroom project as it moves into a new phase; McCrery Architects remains as a consultant.
- White House spokesperson Davis Ingle issued a detailed statement praising Shalom Baranes and confirming the design team changes.
- NCPC chair Will Scharf reiterated at the Dec. 4 meeting that the White House will file plans in December and the commission will review them at a 'normal and deliberative pace.'
- Article notes construction began roughly three months ago and the donor list released by the White House includes 37 named donors.
- NCPC Chair Will Scharf said the White House is expected to submit ballroom plans to the commission later this month.
- Planned ballroom size is 90,000 square feet, nearly double the main White House, with capacity for 999 people.
- Estimated price tag is $300 million, higher than initial projections.
- President Trump says the project will be privately funded by donors and himself, not taxpayers.