US EditionWhite House considers second floor to West Wing for ‘symmetry’ with ballroom
The White House plans a modest second story on the West Wing colonnade to restore symmetry with the new 22,000-square-foot East Wing ballroom, seating 1,000 guests.
- On Jan. 8, 2026, aides presented conceptual ballroom plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, with Shalom Baranes, lead architect hired in December, leading the presentation.
- Aiming to restore symmetry, the White House considers adding a second storey to the West Wing colonnade alongside the East Wing demolition and new ballroom construction.
- The proposed ballroom would measure about 2,043 sq m with capacity for 1,000 seated guests, and the project has an overall footprint of 89,000 square feet with a north end about 60 feet high.
- Two commissioners voiced reservations about the project's size, Will Scharf said, "That, to me, is not a good look for the United States of America," and no vote occurred as public comment and lawsuits continue.
- The White House will submit more advanced ballroom designs to the National Capital Planning Commission at a future meeting as construction crews work this month on footings and below-grade concrete.
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President Trump's planned state ballroom at the White House is now designed to rise to the same height as the historic mansion, the project's lead architect told a federal planning panel Thursday. That's just one of the changes the Trump administration has decided on or is considering that Shalom Baranes...
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