Trump replaces architect overseeing $300m gilded ballroom project | Donald Trump

Donald Trump replaced the architect originally chosen to oversee the planned $300 million gilded ballroom.

Accordingly The Washington Post, which first reported the news on Thursday, quoted three people familiar with the matter; architect James McCrery II and his boutique firm had been managing the project for more than three months until late October.

The president and McCrery have clashed at times, particularly over Trump’s interest in expanding the size of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, the Washington Post reported. But one person said the change was ultimately due to the firm’s limited staff and missed deadlines.

It’s unclear whether McCrery chose to step aside voluntarily. However, a source noted that she and Trump parted on good terms.

Trump chose Shalom Baranes as the new architect of the project, as confirmed by the White House. Baranes, whose previous work includes major federal projects such as the main Treasury building near the White House, received strong praise in a written statement from White House spokesman David Ingle.

“As we begin to move into the next phase of development of the White House Ballroom, the administration is excited to share that the incredibly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts to realize President Trump’s vision to build the White House Ballroom, which will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office,” said Ingle.

“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 in completing this project,” he added.

McCrery will remain on the project as a consultant, according to the White House.

In October, Trump faced widespread criticism after satellite images showed the East Wing being completely demolished to make way for the ballroom; This contradicted Trump’s earlier promise that the existing building would remain untouched.

That same month, Trump fired all six members of the Commission on Fine Arts, an independent federal agency responsible for reviewing the ballroom project and the proposed “Arc de Trump” in Washington, D.C.