White House Renovations

Demolition of the East Wing and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is underway, with photos showing rubble at the site as construction that began in October advances toward a planned 90,000‑sq‑ft ballroom with a 999‑person capacity. The project, now pegged at $300 million and said by the White House to be privately funded (a donor list names 37 contributors), has added Shalom Baranes Associates as lead architect while McCrery Architects remains a consultant, and plans are expected to be submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission this month.