Which presidents proposed adding a ballroom to the White House and when?
Executive summary
President Donald J. Trump is the president in current reporting who proposed and announced construction of a new White House ballroom in 2025, unveiling plans on July 31, 2025 and directing construction to begin in September 2025 (White House statement) [1]. Reporting through December 2025 focuses on Trump’s expanded ballroom plans — a roughly 90,000‑sq‑ft structure, initially described as seating ~650 and later described by the White House as holding up to 999 or—by some media accounts—even larger capacities — and an estimated cost rising from $200m to roughly $300m funded by the president and private donors [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Trump’s 2025 ballroom proposal: the official announcement and timetable
President Trump’s White House publicly announced the ballroom project on July 31, 2025, saying construction would begin in September 2025 and be completed “long before” the end of his term; the White House said Trump and private donors would provide funding for the roughly $200m initial estimate [1]. Subsequent coverage documents the project’s fast-moving timetable and that demolition and site preparation work at the East Wing began in late 2025 [1] [3].
2. Scale, seating and cost: shifting numbers in public statements
Initial White House materials described a ballroom sized at about 90,000 square feet with capacity figures reported variously: the Society of Architectural Historians noted a 650‑person capacity in July 2025 (citing the White House), while later reporting cited Trump saying capacities of 650, 900, 999 and, in some media accounts, up to 1,350 guests; cost estimates rose from roughly $200m to headlines of $300m as the plan evolved [5] [2] [3] [6] [4].
3. Who else historically proposed White House ballrooms — what the sourced record says
Available sources in the provided set do not mention any other U.S. presidents recently proposing a dedicated new ballroom addition of this scale to the White House; the reporting and official statements in these sources focus on President Trump’s 2025 proposal and its particulars (not found in current reporting). The record in these documents emphasizes that formal events have traditionally been held in the East Room or in temporary tents for large state dinners, and that previous presidents and first ladies made other additions [2] [7].
4. Architecture, approvals and institutional pushback
Architectural and preservation organizations raised concerns about the proposed expansion being the first major exterior change to the White House complex since 1942, and the Society of Architectural Historians publicly questioned the project’s impact on the public trust aspect of the White House [5]. The National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts — bodies normally involved in review — feature in reporting about the project’s approval process and political friction; Trump’s team moved forward rapidly and, according to reporting, even replaced or shifted commission members during the process [2] [8].
5. Project management and personnel changes
Press coverage in December 2025 reports that James McCrery II and McCrery Architects, initially hired in July 2025 to lead design, stepped back amid disagreements about scale and schedule, and that Shalom Baranes Associates was added to the team with the White House confirming Baranes’ selection on December 4, 2025 [8] [9] [2]. Media accounts differ on whether McCrery was fully removed or retained as a consultant [8] [9].
6. Political framing, funding and controversy
The White House framed the ballroom as privately funded and a legacy project for future administrations [1]. Critics and preservationists view the demolition of the East Wing and the ballooning size and cost as controversial; members of Congress and preservation groups later proposed added oversight legislation like the “No Palaces Act” in response to the demolition and construction process reported in late 2025 [10] [5].
Limitations and sourcing note: this briefing uses only the supplied reporting and official White House statements. If you want a historical survey beyond these 2025 sources — for example, which earlier presidents ever suggested adding a ballroom — indicate that and I will search wider reporting and archival sources; the articles provided here do not address earlier presidents proposing comparable permanent ballroom additions (not found in current reporting).