The ornate 90,000 square feet
More on the ballroom saga – or should that be the ballsroom saga?
Trump has hired a new architect to oversee the construction of a vast ballroom at the White House, officials said.
Following reports that Trump had clashed with the previous architect, James McCrery, over the size and scope of the addition, the White House said architects Shalom Baranes Associates will take over the project. Mr McCrery will remain as a consultant.
Ah the size and scope. Do they think it’s too small and modest? Do they think it ought to be huger and more self-aggrandizing?
According to US media, Mr McCrery was concerned the ornate 90,000 sq ft (8,360 sq m) project would overshadow the rest of the White House. The house where the president lives and entertains is 55,000 sq ft while the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and other work spaces, is 40,000 sq ft, according to the White House Historical Association.
Well of course it would – and will. It will be grotesque.
On Thursday, Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill that would require NCPC approval before tearing down a historic federal building.
Blumenthal pledged that the bill, the No Palaces Act, “prevents future presidents from recklessly destroying historic sites like the East Wing without approval from the independent National Capital Planning Commission or consideration from Congress.”
Door potentially closed. Horse long gone over the horizon.
And that’s its purpose. It’s Trump’s way of putting his ugly stamp on Washington, cocking his leg and the territory as “his.”
I’m hoping that some not-so-distant future administration knocks it down. It wouldn’t cost anything to do it, because they could sell tickets for members of the public to pick up a sledgehammer and give a whack or two.
Door potentially closed?! Assumes facts not in evidence, such as the First Felon’s willingness to obey laws and the Supreme Court’s willingness to hold him to account.