Final Trump ballroom vote set for April

The National Capital Planning Commission set an early April date to approve President Trump’s controversial plan to add a ballroom to the White House.

After hearing hours of criticism from members of the public, the commission on Thursday set April 2 as the date it will vote to approve the ballroom. 

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the 90,000-square-foot project at its February meeting. Trump announced his plans for the ballroom over the summer, citing the need for an additional space to host important guests beyond a tent on the White House lawn. Trump demolished the East Wing in October, and underground preparations for the ballroom addition have been underway since. 

A federal judge rejected the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request to temporarily stop progress on the ballroom until the White House submits its construction plans to both federal panels and to Congress for approval. 

David Scott Parker, architect and member of the trust’s board, said Wednesday that the project, which would be nearly twice the size of the main White House, was way too big and should be scaled back by almost half. It’s one of several changes he’s proposed to the White House’s construction plans, citing that current trajectory could permanently alter the historic home. The trust has said it will file an amended lawsuit in response to the federal judge’s rejection of its proposed halt to the project. 

“Everything here feels inflated,” Parker said. “The net effect of this is to adversely impact what is the most important historic — the most identifiable historic — house in the entire United States. This is permanent, what it will do to the White House.”

During the public comments section of the federal panel’s meeting, members of the public called the ballroom “ugly” and criticized Trump’s plan to fund the $400 million project through wealthy people and corporations as corruption. Out of the 31 people who spoke, only one commented in favor of the ballroom, citing the president’s background in construction.

“It’s ugly. It’s just ugly. It’s too much,” said Kye Rowan, a member of the public who disclosed they have no architectural background. 

“I urge you to send this back to the drawing board,” said Diane Marlin, a former mayor of Urbana, Ill. 

“Take the time to get this right,” she added.

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