Senior White House officials on Thursday defended the controversial demolition of the East Wing, telling federal planners that the aging structure was beyond repair and posed serious structural and security risks. At the same time, architects unveiled plans for a new presidential ballroom designed to modernize the White House complex while preserving its historic character.
Presenting to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), architect Shalom Baranes said the new ballroom will span roughly 89,000 square feet and accommodate up to 1,000 guests—finally giving the White House a dedicated space for large-scale official events instead of relying on temporary tents.
Using conceptual renderings, Baranes showed a two-story structure, with the ballroom on the upper level and a colonnade below. He noted that earlier proposals for a much larger ballroom were abandoned after he joined the project last November.
“Our primary focus has been on refining the exterior façades through the reproportioning of windows, masonry detailing, revisiting the exterior terraces and further developing the interior spaces, of course,” Baranes said.
White House Director of Administration and Management Josh Fisher painted a grim picture of the East Wing’s condition, arguing that renovation was never a realistic option.
“We found significant deficiencies and overall poor structural design and construction,” Fisher told the commission. “The colonnade was structurally unstable. The roof systems had exceeded their service life and the underpinnings were not sufficient to support the necessary upgrades.”
According to Fisher, the problems went far beyond cosmetics. The building suffered from “chronic water intrusion, accelerated deterioration and mold contamination,” along with an “obsolete” electrical system that was “deemed undersized and noncompliant with current code.” He added that the East Wing also failed to meet modern ADA standards and Secret Service security requirements.
The new design would restore key functions lost with the East Wing’s demolition last October. Baranes said the plans include an office suite for the first lady on the lower level and the return of the White House movie theater, which he said they are “rebuilding.”
Not everyone was convinced. Phil Mendelson, chair of the Council of the District of Columbia, questioned whether the new structure could be scaled back, arguing that the concept art made it look “overwhelming” compared with the rest of the White House.
“I mean, certainly anything is possible,” Baranes replied. “It all depends on schedule and money.”
Mendelson also pressed Fisher on why the project was not brought before the NCPC prior to the East Wing’s demolition.
“There are some things guarding this project that are, frankly, of top-secret nature that we are concurrently working on,” Fisher said.
