> At a Glance
> – President Trump is building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom atop the East Wing, raising its height to match the main White House residence.
> – The $400 million project required demolishing the East Colonnade and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.
> – Architects are now considering adding a new story to the West Wing to restore visual symmetry.
> – Why it matters: The historic executive mansion’s iconic silhouette will be permanently altered, breaking a 200-year design norm.
The White House is shedding its modest Neoclassical profile. After razing the entire East Wing in October 2025, the Trump administration is constructing a four-story ballroom that will rise level with the central residence-ending the long-standing rule that additions stay shorter than the main building.
The $400 Million Makeover
Construction crews cleared the East Colonnade, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and adjacent structures to make way for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, whose price tag has already doubled from an initial $200 million estimate.
Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, told the National Capital Planning Commission on January 8, 2026, that officials concluded a complete rebuild was more cost-effective than retrofitting the historic wing.
Architectural Domino Effect
Lead architect Shalom Baranes revealed that the taller East Wing will be joined by a higher East Colonnade, visible from public streets for the first time. To prevent an off-balance look, Baranes said his team is “considering the idea” of stacking an extra floor onto the West Wing and its colonnade.
> “The reason to think about that is so that we would reinstate the symmetry around the central pavilion of the White House.”
A Prediction Come True
The sweeping changes echo a joke President Barack Obama made in 2011. While teasing Trump about a potential presidency, Obama displayed a mock-up of the White House dwarfed by a glittering Trump-branded tower labeled a hotel, casino, and golf course.
| Key Elements Under Construction | Status |
|---|---|
| East Wing | Demolished |
| East Colonnade | Demolished |
| Jacqueline Kennedy Garden | Removed |
| West Wing Addition | Proposed |
Key Takeaways
- The new ballroom will match the height of the main White House, ending a design tradition dating back to the 1800s.
- Total project cost has soared to $400 million, with construction still underway.
- Architects may expand the West Wing to keep the complex visually balanced.
- Public sight-lines of the executive mansion will change once the taller East Colonnade is in place.
If current plans hold, the familiar view of a standalone presidential home nestled behind lawns and trees will give way to a more imposing, symmetrical complex-cementing a dramatic architectural legacy for the Trump administration.
