The Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit chartered by Congress to additional the historic preservation coverage within the U.S., has written a letter urging the Trump administration to pause the demolition of the East Wing of the White Home till a overview of President Trump’s ballroom plans is accomplished.
The letter, despatched Tuesday and addressed to the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee, Nationwide Park Service and Fee of Tremendous Arts, voices concern in regards to the dimension of the ballroom annex — that “the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself.”
The Belief has no statutory authority to compel the Trump administration to halt building.
“We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and to invite comment from the public,” it says.
Heavy equipment tears down a bit of the East Wing of the White Home as building begins on President Donald Trump’s deliberate ballroom, in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2025.
DREW ANGERER/AFP through Getty Photos
Final week, the Society of Architectural Historians raised comparable issues in regards to the dimension of the ballroom and its impression on White Home grounds.
And in August, a letter from the American Institute of Architects additionally targeted on the ballroom’s dimension. “The proposed 90,000-square-foot addition raises concerns regarding scale and balance. The design absolutely must harmonize with the White House’s existing architectural proportions.”
The Society of Architectural Historians and the American Institute of Architects might make suggestions however don’t have any statutory function within the design or building of the ballroom.
The assertion additionally mentioned the ballroom would “significantly increase the White House’s capacity to host major functions honoring world leaders, foreign nations, and other dignitaries.”
