Federal Architecture and Preservation

A lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to halt demolition and construction of a roughly $400 million White House ballroom after the East Wing was torn down in October 2025 and plans were submitted to federal reviewers only afterward, and U.S. District Judge Richard Leon expressed skepticism in hearings about the administration’s legal authority to demolish and rebuild the East Wing and about the private‑donation funding structure routed through the National Park Service. White House officials say severe structural problems made demolition the most cost‑effective option and presented plans for an almost 90,000‑square‑foot addition (including a 22,000‑square‑foot ballroom and a possible second story over the West Wing colonnade), while the Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning Commission — now being restaffed with Trump appointees — are reviewing the project on a timeline that could produce votes by March as the judge considers whether to pause work pending a February ruling.