Trump changed architects for White House ballroom

US President Donald Trump has hired a new architectural firm to oversee the design of his new ballroom, the White House said on Thursday. The move followed numerous disagreements with his original designer, The New York Times reports, writes UNN.

Details

The president chose Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington-based firm that has designed other government buildings, to oversee the next phase of the project, White House spokesman Davis R. Ingle said. He added that the firm would join "a team of experts to bring to life President Trump's vision for building what will be the largest addition to the White House since the Oval Office."

"Shalom is an experienced architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation's capital for decades, and his expertise will be a great asset in completing this project," Ingle said, referring to the firm's founder, Shalom Baranes.

The choice came after Trump clashed with the original designer, McCrery Architects, amid the president's insistence on increasing the size and scale of the ballroom on a tight deadline.

James McCrery, who runs McCrery Architects, known for its work on Catholic churches, personally presented the president with design plans that would match the rest of the White House. But their visions diverged as "Trump's ambitions for the project grew," the publication writes.

Trump's insistence that the ballroom be completed before his term ends in 2029 has led to sloppy plans, the publication writes. Various plans released so far, including a hastily made contractor's model, include windows facing each other and stairs leading nowhere, the publication notes.

A White House official insisted that McCrery Architects was not being replaced, and that McCrery, who has withdrawn from daily involvement in the project in recent weeks, would be a "valuable consultant."

Addition

Trump demolished the East Wing in October, promising that the White House would not be affected, and aims to build a ballroom more than four times larger than the approximately 1900 sq. m. one at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, which inspired him to build it.

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