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New architect appointed for Trump’s White House ballroom
05 December 2025
The East Wing of the White House is being demolished for the construction of US President Donald Trump’ s proposed ballroom at the White House in Washington, DC, USA (Image: 1 December 2025 - Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
A new architect has taken over the project to build a vast ballroom attached to the White House in Washington DC.
The East Wing of the White House was demolished in October this year ahead of the construction of the ballroom, a project championed by US President Donald Trump.
Architect Shalom Baranas will take over as project lead after James McCrery stepped back from the role. McCrery will remain as a consultant.
The Washington Post reported that McCrery had concerns that the new ballroom could dwarf the existing White House structure.
The ballroom originally had a planned capacity of 500 people but that has since expanded to 1,350. The project is being funded by Trump himself and by donors.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “As we begin to transition into the next stage of development on the White House Ballroom, the Administration is excited to share that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office.
“Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project.”
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