On Thursday, President Donald Trump came one step closer to building his $400 million White House ballroom, when an arts commission packed with allies approved designs for the project. Instead of holding a preliminary vote, the Commission of Fine Arts bypassed the usual review process and gave its final approval of the proposal; this means it will not be subject to further review by the CFA.
The seven-person commission voted six-to-zero in favor of the plans; the ballroom’s original architect James McCrery recused himself. The vote came despite mass opposition to the project, with the panel’s secretary Thomas Luebke saying during the meeting that he had received thousands of messages from concerned members of the public across the country.
Luebke noted that “The general comments were that they were concerned about the illegal demolition without permits or oversight, inappropriate scale that will dwarf the White House, the violation of historic preservation principles, a lack of transparency in funding and contracting and a fundamental miscarriage of democratic principles.”
Last October, Trump tore down the White House’s East Wing to make way for the proposed ballroom. In the same month, he fired all six of the original members of the CFA, replacing them with loyalists this year. And in November, McCrery stepped back from the project over disagreements about the ballroom’s size; he was replaced by Shalom Baranes.
Since then, Trump has moved to exert control over the National Capital Planning Commission, the next panel to review the designs, installing his former personal lawyer Will Scharf as chairman. The NCPC also plans to fast-track final approval for the project.
The NCPC’s review will take place on March 5. Public comments are open for that meeting, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation is encouraging the public to submit written statements or register to speak.
Trump has said he wants to have the ballroom finished within a year and a half.
