The White House has not submitted plans for Donald Trump’s new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings, though demolition is already under way.
Plans for Trump’s 90,000 sq ft ballroom were made public in the late summer, with Trump saying he would personally fund the $200m construction.
The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing a senior administration official, that the ballroom plans will mean the demolition of the entire East Wing.
White House officials insist demolition is allowed without the commission’s approval.
During Trump’s first term, the White House went through the commission to install a new fence, a much smaller project than the construction of the new ballroom.
Although demolition of Donald Trump’s new ballroom is already underway, the White House has not yet submitted plans to the federal agency in charge of overseeing the construction of federal buildings.
The White House told Reuters on Tuesday that it would forward plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which normally authorizes and oversees construction on federal buildings. Earlier this week, reporters captured footage of a backhoe tearing parts of the White House’s exterior as demolition got underway.
Late summer saw the release of plans for Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which he claimed he would personally finance with $200 million. He remarked at the time, “Just another way to spend my money for this construction.”.
The ballroom plans will result in the complete East Wing being demolished, according to a senior administration official quoted in the New York Times on Wednesday.
White House officials maintain that demolition is permitted even in the absence of commission approval. In September, White House staff secretary and Trump-appointed commission head Will Scharf stated that only the commission has the authority to authorize new construction and that there is a distinction between demolition and rebuilding.
A White House official told the Guardian: “The National Planning Commission only requires permits for vertical construction, not demolition. The proper time will be chosen to submit permits to the NPC. “.”.
However, in a letter to the White House on Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a prominent non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation that was established by Congress, informed the White House that plans for demolition were “legally required” to undergo public review and urged Trump to put a halt to demolition.
In the letter, the group expressed their deep concern that the proposed new construction’s massing height would overpower the White House, which is 55,000 square feet, and could permanently upset the building’s carefully balanced classical design with its two smaller, lower East and West Wings.
A much smaller project than building the new ballroom was the commission the White House went through to install a new fence during Trump’s first term.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Fox News on Tuesday that “there’s a lot of fake outrage out there right now” amid the criticism surrounding the demolition.
Although this is something that many presidents have dreamed about, President Trump is the one taking concrete action. Additionally, he is the principal builder. He was re-elected to this people’s house largely due to his ability to construct things, Leavitt stated, pointing out that numerous presidents had altered the White House.
Trump stated during the summer that new construction would not impact the current structure, as critics have noted.
The existing structure won’t be hampered. It will be close to it without going near it, and it shows complete respect for the current structure, which I find to be very admirable,” Trump stated.
