(AFP) – US President Donald Trump has hired a new architect for his $300-million White House ballroom, a spokesman said Thursday, after reported disagreements with the project’s original designer. Trump had differences with James McCrery, a specialist in classical architecture, including over the billionaire president’s wishes to increase the size of the ballroom, US media reported.
The Republican had now picked architect Shalom Baranes, who has “shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades,” to come on board, said White House spokesman Davis Ingle. “As we begin to transition into the next stage of development on the White House ballroom, the administration is excited to share that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision,” Ingle said in a statement to AFP.
The firm has previously worked on projects including the modernization of the US Treasury building near the White House, and renovating the Pentagon after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trump has demolished the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom that he says will have a capacity of 1,000 people. His plans have sparked concerns that the new building could overshadow the main presidential mansion itself, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.
The project, which Trump says will be fully privately funded, has yet to undergo any public review. US media reported that in addition to disagreements over the size of the ballroom, property magnate Trump had concerns that McCrery’s small firm would be able to meet deadlines. A person familiar with the project, however, said that McCrery would remain a “valuable consultant” on the ballroom, adding that it was “not a replacement but rather a passing of the baton as the project develops into new phases.”
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