White House Ballroom Design Approved by Trump Commission After One Hearing
The US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, also suggested making changes to the White House mansion to make it closer to the design of the new ballroom.
The chairman for the US Commission of Fine Arts suggested White House ballroom architect Shalom Baranes change the existing columns on the North Portico of the White House mansion from Ionic to Corinthian to match the design of the future ballroom.
Photographer: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg
The US Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency made up of Donald Trump appointees, approved the design of the president’s planned White House ballroom after a single hearing, despite ongoing litigation and public outcry.
While the presentation on Thursday was limited in scope to a design concept for the new addition, the agency made the decision to vote to approve it in full as a final plan, which means that no further hearings on the ballroom will take place. Trump thanked the panel in a social media post after the decision. He has said the project will cost as much as $400 million, with funding coming from outside donors.