Demolition work has started on the East Wing of the White House, after President Trump announced plans for the project in July.
US President Donald Trump’s dream of building a ballroom at the White House has moved a step closer to reality, with work now underway to tear down part of the East Wing.
Traditionally, the East Wing serves as the first lady’s base of operations, but despite lacking approval for the £186 million ($250 million) project, the ballroom appears to be going ahead.
Trump announced the start of the construction work on his social media website, Truth Social, on Monday.
The Trump administration has moved ahead, despite not receiving sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.
Chairman of the commission, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of the President’s top aides, said at the commission’s September meeting that the agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.
“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month.
It is unclear whether the White House has submitted the ballroom plans for the agency’s review and approval.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment by the Associated Press, and the commission’s office is closed because of the government shutdown.
When the project was announced in July, Trump confirmed that the new build would not interfere with the mansion itself.
“It’ll be near it. but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said of the White House.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during the construction and that area of the building will be moderniSed and renovated.
“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said when she announced the project in July.
Trump says that presidents have desired a ballroom for 150 years and that he is adding the 90,000 square foot space as the East Wing’s current largest room (which can host around 200 people) is too small.
He also said that he does not like the idea of hosting queens, kings, presidents, and prime ministers in the pavilions on the South Lawn.
Posting on social media around the time of the project’s announcement, Trump said it would be built “with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”
The new addition will become the biggest structural change to the White House since the addition in 1948 of the Truman Balcony
Trump hosted a dinner last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money towards construction costs.
The President said that the project had grown in size and will now accommodate 999 people.
In the original announcement, the ballroom’s capacity was set to be 650 seated people.
The White House has said it will disclose information on who has contributed money to build the ballroom, but has yet to do so.
The East Wing houses several offices and was built in 1902. It has been renovated over the years, with a second story added in 1942, according to the White House.
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