US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the military was considering building a large complex beneath the new ballroom being built at the White House, adding that details of the project had recently emerged “because of a stupid lawsuit”.
According to AFP, Trump, who was aboard Air Force One, said: “The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well, so we’re ahead of the curve. It’s part of it, the ballroom basically becomes a shed for what’s being built underneath.”
Trump said last week that the ballroom project involved a national security component that was originally intended to remain confidential, The Hill reported. He added at Thursday’s cabinet meeting that the military had strongly supported the project, but the details were no longer secret. He claimed that the information was released by individuals he described as unpatriotic.
Trump has often spoken at length about the project, which has so far moved forward without the typically complex approval processes required to alter Washington’s architectural landscape.
“We use onyx and other remarkable stones,” he said recently at a news conference partly focused on the conflict in the Middle East.
The ballroom project, one of the largest White House undertakings in more than a century, expanded significantly and its privately funded budget grew from $200 million to $400 million.
Last October, the former real estate developer had an entire wing of the White House demolished to make way for a massive ballroom designed to host receptions and state dinners.
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Trump, who wants to make a lasting impression on the US capital, has also renamed the prominent performance venue the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and plans to build a grand arch in Washington based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Details on the White House Ballroom Project
Trump said last summer that he intended to build a ballroom at the White House, saying a permanent venue was needed to host key guests instead of relying on a temporary tent on the lawn. In October, the east wing was demolished without notice and since then earthworks have been taking place under the site. Officials have indicated that above-ground construction is unlikely to begin until April.
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The private nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation moved a federal court to temporarily halt the project, arguing that the White House should first present its plans to federal regulators and Congress and allow public input. But U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the request, and the Trust said it plans to file a revised lawsuit, according to the AP.
David Scott Parker, a member of the American Institute of Architects whose firm specializes in residential design and historic preservation, based his review on design renderings and other materials submitted by the White House to the Commission on Fine Arts last month, the AP reported. He pointed out that the ballroom will take up about 22,000 square feet (2,043 square meters), which he said is significantly larger than required for the 1,000 guests Trump expects to host.
At industry standards of roughly 15 square feet (1.4 square meters) per person, Parker said the space could shrink by about 47% to about 15,000 square feet (1,394 square meters).
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The design also includes a 4,000-square-foot (372 square meter) south-facing porch and staircase. Parker argued that the features are unnecessary because they do not provide direct access to the interior of the building, adding that the porch does not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The White House said the ballroom would comply with federal accessibility laws, though it did not directly address Parker’s criticism. The proposed portico is also much larger than those on the south side of the White House and the nearby Treasury Building.
Concerns about the scale of the project have persisted since the beginning. At nearly twice the size of the main White House building, which spans around 55,000 square feet (5,110 square meters), critics say the addition could dominate the historic structure and disrupt the overall symmetry of the complex.
(With input from agencies)
