Trump Reappoints Original Ballroom Architect to Fine Arts Commission Reviewing $400M East Wing Project
President Trump appointed four new members to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, including architect James McCrery—who originally led design work on the White House ballroom—placing the project's original architect on the federal panel that will review the $400 million East Wing Modernization Project. The White House says severe structural problems prompted demolition (which began before federal review) and the plan includes a permanent ballroom, a possible second story over the West Wing colonnade and a new visitor entry, with an NCPC informational briefing in early January, a final NCPC submission due Jan. 30, an NCPC vote March 5 and CFA review aimed for March 19. Court filings show a private donation accepted by the National Park Service was transferred to the Executive Residence now managing the project, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to halt construction alleging required reviews and public comment were bypassed.
📌 Key Facts
- The National Capital Planning Commission held an informational presentation on the East Wing Modernization Project on Jan. 8, 2026; the White House submitted ballroom plans to the NCPC in December 2025 after demolition of the East Wing (which began in October 2025) had already started.
- Federal review and approval milestones disclosed in court filings and agency briefings include a final NCPC submission due Jan. 30, an NCPC vote expected March 5, a target to complete Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) review by March 19, and above‑ground East Wing construction not expected before April at the earliest.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to halt construction of the roughly $400 million ballroom, alleging the administration violated federal laws by proceeding before required independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment.
- NCPC staff describe the project’s purpose as creating a permanent, secure event space on the White House grounds to expand capacity, replace temporary tents and support facilities, and protect the historic integrity and cultural landscape—a need documented in a comprehensive 2000 White House plan and treated as an ongoing priority by successive administrations.
- White House Office of Administration director Josh Fisher and other officials said the East Wing had severe structural and code problems—unstable colonnade, expired roof systems, inadequate foundations, chronic water intrusion and mold, obsolete/undersized electrical systems, and noncompliance with ADA and Secret Service requirements—and that a cost analysis found demolition and reconstruction the "lowest total cost ownership" and most effective long‑term strategy.
- Architect Shalom Baranes presented updated renderings that include floating a possible second story over the West Wing colonnade so the West Wing and new ballroom heights would "match exactly;" the ballroom is expected to be larger than the rest of the existing White House and the change would significantly affect the area outside the Oval Office.
- Officials said the project will add a new visitor entry complex to move guests more efficiently and reduce reliance on temporary outdoor tents; proposed ballroom dimensions include a roughly 38–40 foot ceiling, which some commissioners worried would overwhelm the existing building and whose final height has not been set.
- Will Scharf, the NCPC chair and a top White House aide, said the review will be conducted at a "normal and deliberative pace" and argued for the need for a large, elegant event space; at the same time, D.C. Council chair and NCPC member Phil Mendelson and National Trust president Carol Quillen publicly raised substantive concerns and stressed legal compliance and further review.
- President Trump appointed four new members to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts who will be involved in reviewing the project, including architect James McCrery—who originally led design work on the White House ballroom—and appointees Mary Anne Carter, Roger Kimball and Matthew Taylor.
- Court filings allege the National Park Service accepted a private donation on Nov. 13, 2025 that was transferred to the Executive Residence, which is now directly managing the ballroom project’s scope, schedule, budget, design and completion.
📊 Relevant Data
Presidents have historically fired and replaced members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts to align with their administration's aesthetic or policy preferences, such as President Biden ousting four Trump appointees in 2021 and President Trump terminating all six CFA members in October 2025.
Biden Seeks to Replace Several Trump Appointees on Arts Commission — The New York Times
Donors to the White House ballroom project, including major corporations like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Lockheed Martin, have collectively received $279 billion in federal contracts, raising questions about potential influence on administration policies.
White House ballroom donors received $279 billion in federal contracts, report — Straight Arrow News
The National Capital Planning Commission typically requires project submissions approximately 35 days before commission meetings for most projects, with some requiring up to 90 days for review, while the Commission of Fine Arts reviews projects in concept and final stages with strict submission deadlines.
Submission Deadlines - National Capital Planning Commission — National Capital Planning Commission
A comprehensive design plan for the White House from 2000 identified the need for expanded event space due to growing visitor demand and event requirements, which subsequent administrations have treated as an ongoing priority.
WATCH: Trump administration presents ballroom plan for review months after construction began — PBS NewsHour
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"A skeptical critique arguing the White House’s East Wing demolition and $400M ballroom plan are an unnecessary, politically driven vanity project that bypassed normal review, risks historic and legal backlash, and likely misstates the true costs and justifications."
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- President Trump has appointed four new members to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, including architect James McCrery, who originally led design work on the White House ballroom.
- Other new CFA appointees named are National Endowment for the Arts chair Mary Anne Carter, conservative writer Roger Kimball, and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C.
- Court filings in the National Trust for Historic Preservation lawsuit reveal the National Park Service accepted a private donation on Nov. 13 that was then transferred to the Executive Residence, which is now directly managing the ballroom project’s scope, schedule, budget, design and completion.
- The filings lay out a target timeline: an informational briefing to the Commission of Fine Arts delayed to next week, a final NCPC submission due Jan. 30, an NCPC vote expected March 5, and a goal of completing CFA review by March 19, with above‑ground East Wing construction not expected before April at the earliest.
- White House officials and architect Shalom Baranes told the National Capital Planning Commission that the ballroom project is expected to include adding a second story to the West Wing colonnade to visually align it with the new ballroom.
- Baranes said the heights of the existing White House and the new ballroom 'will match exactly,' and that the ballroom, once completed, is expected to be larger than the rest of the existing White House.
- Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, provided a detailed list of structural and code problems—structurally unstable colonnade, expired roof systems, inadequate underpinnings, chronic water intrusion, accelerated deterioration, mold contamination, obsolete and undersized electrical systems, and non‑compliance with ADA and Secret Service requirements—as the cost basis for demolishing rather than renovating the East Wing.
- White House officials told the commission it was 'not feasible' to save the East Wing and that demolition and reconstruction offered 'the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long‑term strategy.'
- The project will add a new visitor entry complex to move guests into the ballroom more efficiently and reduce reliance on temporary outdoor tents or structures.
- NCPC Commissioner and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson raised concerns that the proposed 38–40 foot ceiling height and overall massing may overwhelm the existing building and asked whether size and location could change; officials said 'anything’s possible' but that the current plans had been thoroughly studied and the exact height is not yet final.
- Will Scharf, a top White House aide tapped by President Trump to head the NCPC, attended and listened as commissioners raised concerns, signaling White House engagement with the review process.
- White House Office of Administration director Josh Fisher told the NCPC that severe structural problems in the East Wing—an unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination—made demolition more economical than renovation.
- Fisher said a cost analysis concluded demolition and reconstruction provided the "lowest total cost ownership" and "most effective long-term strategy."
- NCPC chair Will Scharf publicly argued the White House needs a large, elegant space and said that, absent the project, VIPs like King Charles III are hosted in South Lawn tents with portable toilets.
- Architect Shalom Baranes presented updated renderings and floated a possible second story over the West Wing colonnade to visually balance the new ballroom, noting it would significantly affect the space outside the Oval Office.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation president Carol Quillen called the presentation a "good and necessary first step" but reiterated that the administration must comply with all legally required review and approval processes before construction proceeds.
- D.C. Council chair and NCPC member Phil Mendelson questioned the ballroom’s proposed 38–40 foot ceiling as "overwhelming" and asked why the project was not brought to the commission before the East Wing was demolished in October 2025.
- The National Capital Planning Commission is holding its first, informational presentation on the East Wing Modernization Project on Jan. 8, 2026, where the White House will outline the ballroom plan and commissioners can ask questions and offer general feedback.
- The White House submitted ballroom plans to the NCPC in December, months after demolition of the East Wing had already begun, meaning federal review is now proceeding post-demolition rather than pre-construction.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction of the $400 million ballroom, alleging the Trump administration violated federal laws by proceeding before independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment.
- NCPC chair Will Scharf told commissioners in December that the review will be treated seriously and conducted at a 'normal and deliberative pace,' and Trust president Carol Quillen said she takes him at his word.
- The NCPC staff summary describes the project’s stated purpose as establishing a permanent, secure event space within the White House grounds that expands capacity, replaces temporary tents and support facilities, and 'protects the historic integrity and cultural landscape' of the White House.
- The article notes that a comprehensive 2000 White House design plan documented the need for expanded event space, and says successive administrations have treated expanded event capacity as an ongoing priority.