Leavitt noted that the White House, despite its history and beauty, is unable to host large events without erecting a tent on its lawn.
WASHINGTON—The White House will be constructing a $200 million ballroom to accommodate people for larger events, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on July 31.
“For 150 years, presidents, administrations, and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.
“President [Donald] Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people.”
Construction will start in September.
Leavitt noted that the White House, despite its history and beauty, is unable to host large events without erecting a tent on the White House lawn, where state dinners are usually held.
The ballroom will be 90,000 square feet and have a capacity of 650 people. Currently, the East Room, where many White House social events are held, can only seat 200 people.
The ballroom will be where the East Wing is situated. It is where the office of the first lady is located. It was built in 1902, and the second story was added in 1942.
“In recent weeks, President Trump has held several meetings with members of the White House staff, the National Park Service, the White House Military Office, and the United States Secret Service to discuss design features and planning,” Leavitt said.
The lead designers will be Washington-based McCrery Architects, while Maryland-based Clark Construction will build the ballroom. Texas-based AECOM will do the engineering.
The $200 million project, which will be privately funded, will start in September, and it is expected to be completed before the end of Trump’s presidency.
While the ballroom will not be connected to the White House itself, said Leavitt, “its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical.”
“President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in a statement read by Leavitt.
“The president and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future administrations and generations of Americans to come in the White House.”
