President Donald Trump has been envisioning a new ballroom on the White House campus for a decade and a half.
His dream is about to become a reality.
Construction will begin in September on a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, his press secretary announced Thursday, fulfilling a 15-year ambition by the president to construct an event space on the White House grounds that expands the building’s entertaining capacity — but also resembles the gilded spaces of his private clubs.
Renderings provided by the White House depict a vast space with gold and crystal chandeliers, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, gold floor lamps and a checkered marble floor. Three walls of arched windows look out over the White House’s south grounds — including a massive new flagpole that was another of Trump’s additions to the historic compound.
“I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom, because they should have one,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “It’ll be a great legacy project, and I think it’ll be special.”
