The White House has brought in a new architect to work on President Donald Trump’s “vision” for his massive $300 million ballroom project, officials said Thursday.
Shalom Baranes, head of Shalom Baranes Associates, has “joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office — the White House Ballroom,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.
Baranes’ involvement was first reported by The Washington Post. NBC News has reached out to Shalom Baranes Associates for comment.
The White House originally hired James McCrery and his firm to work in the project, which has already resulted in the destruction of the East Wing over the summer. Baranes was brought in as the project is developing into “new phases,” a White House official said.
The official said McCrery remains as a “valuable consultant” on the project, adding, “This is not a replacement but rather a passing of the baton.”
While Trump has shown off renderings of the project, the exact dimensions of the ballroom are unclear. It’s already expanded in size and cost. Trump told NBC News in September that it would be able to hold up to 900 people.
The White House will submit official plans to the National Capital Planning Commission soon, the official said.
In his statement, Ingle praised Baranes as “an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project.”
Initially estimated to cost $200 million, Trump said in October that the new ballroom would cost about $300 million. The entire amount is being paid by donors, including him, he said. It’s “going to be probably the finest ballroom ever built, and we’re doing it to no cost to the country,” Trump said then.
Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBCUniversal, was included in a list of top donors. It is unclear how much Comcast and other donors have contributed.
