Trump considers adding second floor to West Wing for ballroom 'symmetry'

WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump is exploring the construction of a second story for the White House's West Wing colonnade to balance the building's height with the future ballroom and other additions on the East Wing.

The ballroom's lead architect, Shalom Baranes, said on Jan. 8 the White House is considering a "modest one-story addition" to the West Wing colonnade that would "serve to restore a sense of symmetry" with the East Wing, which will include an expanded two-story colonnade connecting the White House's East Room to the ballroom.

Baranes said the expanded West Wing colonnade would be the same height as the White House's main historic building, which was protected during the recent demolition of the old East Wing. The ballroom's north end would be about 60 feet high, the same height as the White House mansion, and painted the same white color.

Baranes, hired by Trump to lead the project in December, discussed the concept before the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, which formally reviewed conceptual plans of Trump's ballroom project for the first time.

"The heights will match exactly," Baranes told the commissioners.

East Wing to include first lady's suite, movie theater

The West Wing colonnade, built in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt, connects the White House executive residence with White House offices located in the West Wing. It is flanked by the Rose Garden on one side and the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on the other.

Trump surprised reporters in August when he took a stroll atop the West Wing colonnade with his former ballroom architect.

Baranes said the ballroom project's overall footprint would be 89,000 square feet, but the ballroom itself would be about 22,000 square feet. He said the ballroom, which would have walls between 30 and 40 feet high, would hold 1,000 guests.

The ballroom will also include a "grand stair" leading to a foyer and have space for food service, a loading dock and waste handling, according to Baranes. The revamped East Wing is set to include a new first lady's suite ‒ after the first lady's offices were displaced during the demolition ‒ as well as a new movie theater.

The White House plans to submit more advanced ballroom designs to the commission, which acts as Washington's central planning agency, at a future meeting. It is unclear how the commission will vote on the ballroom's plans.

Trump wants the ballroom to open before his term ends in January 2029. He's vowed to use private donations to pay for the project, which has a price tag of $400 million, up from $250 million the president originally projected.

The commission, which consists of several Trump appointees, seemed largely receptive about the ballroom's plans despite the controversy surrounding it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in December aimed at blocking its construction.

Some concerned about size of ballroom

Commissioner Phil Mendelson, who chairs the District of Columbia City Council, expressed hesitation about the height of the project.

"I'm concerned about this addition overwhelming the original historic building," Mendelson said. "It sounds to me that the height could be lowered without jeopardizing the footprint."

Linda Argo, another commissioner, said, "I have some concern with size and scale in a number of ways. But we can talk more about that as the design and work on this progresses."

Asked whether the ballroom's height could be reduced as the planning continues, Baranes said, "It's possible ‒ not impossible."

Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary who chairs the commission, called the board's first formal glance at the ballroom plans the "beginning of a process."

Reiterating the case Trump has made, Scharf said the ballroom is needed to host large formal events attended by world leaders that currently take place under tents on the White House South Lawn.

"That, to me, is not a good look for the United States of America," Scharf said. "And I think that when you think about the long history of planning for a state ballroom on the White House grounds, if you think about the number of times this project has been suggested historically, it speaks to that programmatic need."

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.