Preservation Group Goes to Court to Challenge Controversial Trump White House Ballroom Project
More than a month after demolition was launched to make way for the building of a new ballroom at the White House, a major preservation group is going to court to stop all action on the project.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia attacking the way the project, first announced last summer, came about.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsover–not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the organization says in its suit, adding: “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
Trump unveiled his plans to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom in July. Those plans, notes the Washington Post, not only came under instant attack regarding their legality, but also for the project’s look.
“The proposed room is awash in white and gold, lines with rows of theatrical arched windows,” the paper continued, also noting the presence of a large crystal chandeliers and towering candelabras.
The vision, critics have said, is suggestive of aspects of the President’s grand Mar-a-Largo Estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement, Carol Quillen, chief executive officer of the National Trust, said the project should be first reviewed by the National Capital Planning Committee, which would also include public input.
“Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” continued Quillen.
The demolition work took place in late October, seeing the levelling of the 12,000-square-foot East Wing, which had housed offices and a movie theater.
A White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, has denied that any actual new construction at the site has yet taken place, but defended the overall project itself, remarking, “President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House, just like all his predecessors did.”
Since announcing the initial plans for a ballroom that would accommodate upwards of 650 people, Trump has expanded the project to allow for 1,000 people. At the same time the price tag for the project has increased from around $200 million in private giving to nearly $300 million.
December 15, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Rendering of ballroom courtesy of the White House
No Responses
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
Sign up for our newsletter
Preservation Group Goes to Court to Challenge Controversial Trump White House Ballroom Project
More than a month after demolition was launched to make way for the building of a new ballroom at the White House, a major preservation group is going to court to stop all action on the project.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia attacking the way the project, first announced last summer, came about.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsover–not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the organization says in its suit, adding: “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
Trump unveiled his plans to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom in July. Those plans, notes the Washington Post, not only came under instant attack regarding their legality, but also for the project’s look.
“The proposed room is awash in white and gold, lines with rows of theatrical arched windows,” the paper continued, also noting the presence of a large crystal chandeliers and towering candelabras.
The vision, critics have said, is suggestive of aspects of the President’s grand Mar-a-Largo Estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement, Carol Quillen, chief executive officer of the National Trust, said the project should be first reviewed by the National Capital Planning Committee, which would also include public input.
“Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” continued Quillen.
The demolition work took place in late October, seeing the levelling of the 12,000-square-foot East Wing, which had housed offices and a movie theater.
A White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, has denied that any actual new construction at the site has yet taken place, but defended the overall project itself, remarking, “President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House, just like all his predecessors did.”
Since announcing the initial plans for a ballroom that would accommodate upwards of 650 people, Trump has expanded the project to allow for 1,000 people. At the same time the price tag for the project has increased from around $200 million in private giving to nearly $300 million.
December 15, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Rendering of ballroom courtesy of the White House
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply
Get stories like these right to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter
Archives