Trump ousts White House ballroom architect amid fight over size

President Donald Trump has replaced the architect leading his $300 million White House ballroom project, bringing in a veteran D.C. firm after months of tension and missed deadlines. The switch, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as demolition of the East Wing and site prep continue ahead of a formal federal review.

Architect swap on Trump’s $300 million ballroom

For over three months, architect James McCrery II and his boutique firm led the effort to design the new ballroom. It is expected to span roughly 90,000 square feet and host close to 1,000 guests.

By late October, McCrery was no longer running the project. People familiar with the effort told The Post that Trump and McCrery clashed over the president’s repeated push to enlarge the building.

Sources say it was the firm’s small size and missed deadlines on an aggressive timeline that tipped the balance. Trump wants the ballroom finished before the end of his second term.

The White House and McCrery’s representatives now describe his role as “consulting,” rather than leading the design. Trump’s selection of McCrery had raised eyebrows from the start.

His firm is best known for churches, libraries and homes. Plus, some architects noted that federal officials would normally consider firms several times larger for a project of this scale.

Shalom Baranes steps in

Trump has now turned to Shalom Baranes, a Washington architect with decades of experience designing and renovating major federal buildings. His resume includes projects at the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the General Services Administration.

Baranes also led a roughly $1 billion renovation of the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 attacks. He described the project as his “proudest moment” in a 2017 Washington Post op-ed.

In a statement to both The Post and CNN, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the administration is “excited” to have Baranes join what it calls a team of experts to carry out Trump’s vision for “the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office.” Ingle praised Baranes as an architect whose work has “shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades.”

This story is featured in today’s Unbiased Updates. Watch the full episode here.

Demolition, oversight fights and the ‘No Palaces Act’

While the design has been in flux, construction work has not slowed down. The East Wing has already been demolished. Photos obtained by The Post show crews driving piles, stacking reinforced concrete pipes and working under a towering crane anchored into a concrete pad on the site.

That pace has alarmed historic preservationists and some Democrats. They say the White House is pushing ahead without enough transparency or oversight. They note that the project has not gone through the full National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) review process. The federal body typically vets major projects in central Washington.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Thursday introduced the so-called “No Palaces Act.” It would require NCPC review for demolition on White House grounds and force Congress to sign off before private donations can be used for future building projects.

 “It’s not Donald Trump’s house, it’s the people’s house,” Blumenthal told The Post. He argued members of Congress should be able to seek a court order to stop similar projects.

The White House has said it did not seek NCPC approval before tearing down the East Wing because, in its view, the commission only has authority over new construction, not demolition.

The post Trump ousts White House ballroom architect amid fight over size appeared first on Straight Arrow News.

Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief

Ella Greene

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