(AFP) – US President Donald Trump is considering adding a second story to the famed White House colonnade as part of his plans to build a huge $400-million ballroom, the architect in charge of the project said Thursday. The addition of a new level above the West Wing colonnade would restore “symmetry” to the presidential residence, Shalom Baranes told the first Washington planning committee meeting on the project.
The blueprints already envisage a two-story colonnade linking the main White House mansion to the 1,000-seat ballroom, where Trump plans to host foreign dignitaries and major events. Baranes added that the new ballroom, for which Trump last year demolished the historic East Wing, will be at the same height as the main building to preserve its historic proportions.
It is the first time that plans have been unveiled to change the West Wing of the White House. Trump appeared on the roof of the current colonnade earlier this year with the previous architect for the project. “This scheme does require a two-storey colonnade connecting the East Room in the White House to the new ballroom,” Baranes told the National Capital Planning Commission.
“The White House is therefore considering the idea of a modest one-storey addition to the West Wing colonnade which would serve to restore a sense of symmetry around the original central pavilion.” The addition would sit above the famous white-columned colonnade, where presidents have been pictured for decades strolling on their way from the main residence to the Oval Office.
It would also lie above the briefing room where presidential press secretaries address the media, and the working areas for the White House press corps. Trump faced criticism for demolishing the entire East Wing, the traditional home for the offices of the US first lady, without first consulting historical organizations or the capital planning commission. He has also paved over the grass of the White House Rose Garden.
The Republican president has installed his staff secretary Will Scharf — who is often seen at Trump’s side in the Oval Office during his lengthy executive order signing sessions — as head of the commission. The cost of the ballroom has meanwhile soared. The White House cited $200 million when the plans were first unveiled in July, but Trump said in December it could cost double that.
© 2024 AFP
