&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "White House unveils $200 million ballroom – How massive is the project? Will it replace East Wing?")
In a major expansion of the White House, US President Donald Trump announced building a massive ballroom at the presidential residence that can host a large number of guests. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt unveiled the upcoming makeover during a media briefing on Thursday (Jul 31), saying that the $200 million project has been funded by Trump himself and unspecified donors.
“For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex,” the spokeswoman said.
“There’s never been a president that was good at ballrooms,” the 79-year-old president, who is a former real estate developer, told reporters. “I’m good at building things, and we’ll get it built quickly and on time. It’ll be beautiful,” said Trump, adding that the character of the original building would be preserved.
How massive will the new ballroom be?
The White House State Ballroom will span over 90,000 square feet (8,000 square meters). Its “ornately designed and carefully crafted space” will have a seating capacity of 650 people, a significant increase from the earlier capacity of 200 people in the East Room of the White House.
The ballroom will be used for grand state dinners, which are hosted when a foreign head of state visits Washington. These events were generally organised by erecting a huge tent on the White House grounds. According to Leavitt, the construction of the ballroom will begin this September and is expected to be completed “well before” Trump’s second term ends in January 2029.
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Will the new ballroom replace East Wing?
The ballroom building will replace the East Wing, which contains the offices of the US first lady. The section was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated and changed many times. In 1942, a second story was added to the building. According to the model of the project released by the White House, the white building will have a similar design structure to the main White House building.
The project is part of one of the renovations that Trump has brought to the White House, including the Oval Office makeover he did as soon as he began his second term in January.
