Donald Trump removes James McCrery as White House ballroom architect
US president Donald Trump has dismissed James McCrery as lead architect for his White House ballroom, with Shalom Baranes Associates now leading the project.
McCrery, who was announced as the architect for the expansion to the White House in July, was removed as the studio didn't have capacity to move the project forward at the pace Trump required, reported the Washington Post.
According to the paper, McCrery had also clashed with Trump over plans to increase the size of the proposed ballroom.
"Highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team"
McCrery will continue as a consultant on the project with Shalom Baranes Associates, which is led by US architect Shalom Baranes, now leading the project.
Washington DC-based Shalom Baranes Associates is considerably larger than James McCrery's studio, McCrery Architects, and has designed numerous commercial projects across the city.
A spokesman for the White House confirmed the switch of architects.
"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 – the White House ballroom," said White House spokesman Davis Ingle in a statement.
"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."
Ballroom set to be built on site of former East Wing
The 90,000-square-foot (8,360 square metres) ballroom is set to be built on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished in October.
Set to be built in a neoclassical style, the ballroom is planned as an event space for major events with a seated capacity of 650 people.
According to Trump the building will be funded entirely by private donors, with dozens of American companies and people having been named as funders, including Apple, Adelson Family Foundation, Amazon, Google, Meta, Coinbase, Palantir, and Lockheed Martin.
The redevelopment of the White House is one of several ways that Trump is aiming to leave his mark on Washington DC. Last month, he also revealed plans for a classical-style triumphal arch to mark America's 250th birthday in 2026 and suggested repainting the Eisenhower building.
Earlier this week, he called for the "redesign" of Eero Saarinen-designed Dulles Airport.
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