The White House on Thursday unveiled its plans for President Donald Trump’s expansive ballroom inside a newly constructed East Wing.
Architect Shalom Baranes told the National Capital Planning Commission at a public hearing that the privately funded ballroom has a “1,000-seat requirement” and will be 20,000 square feet, with ceilings that are about 40 feet. Construction is expected to take years.
Overall, the new East Wing will be 89,000 square feet, with two levels, and will be the same height as the White House building itself, Baranes said. “The heights will match exactly,” he said.
The architect also said that there are plans, after the East Wing construction is complete, for an addition to the smaller West Wing in order to restore “symmetry” to the two sides.
Separately, Trump told The New York Times in an interview published Thursday that he wants to build an “upper West Wing” — a second level on the White House’s colonnade connecting the West Wing to the residence. Trump said it could be used for office space or for a first lady’s offices.
Trump has been heavily involved in the planning of the ballroom project, which has grown in size and cost since he first announced it in 2025. He said last month that it is expected to cost $400 million — double his initial estimate.
Baranes said the new wing will also have other features to help the White House operate more smoothly, including a commercial-grade kitchen and a more accessible system for deliveries at the complex. There will also be a new, streamlined entrance for guests, which will enable officials to do away with the trailers that guests now have to pass through.
The “increased connectivity” will help reduce “ongoing operational stress” on the historic structure.
The White House is scheduled to present more detailed plans to the board next month. The panel, which is chaired by Trump’s staff secretary, Will Scharf, and includes other Trump allies, is expected to vote on the plans in early March.
Activists protested the project outside of the commission building ahead of the hearing.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit late last year seeking to temporarily halt the project, noting the administration broke ground before plans were even submitted to the planning commission and without approval from Congress, which it said is required for construction on federal parkland in Washington, D.C.
A judge refused to sign off on the group’s request, and the White House filed initial plans with the commission soon after.
The project is being paid for by private donors. Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBCUniversal, was included in a list of top donors. It is unclear how much Comcast and other donors have contributed.
