Trump hires new architect Shalom Baranes for White House ballroom project
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President Donald Trump on Thursday hired a new architect to lead the next phase of the White House ballroom project.
Trump tapped Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based architectural firm, to oversee the ballroom design efforts.
“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 largest addition to the White House since the Oval Office,” White House Press Secretary Davis Ingle said in a statement. he said.
“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,” Ingle added.
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An excavator works to clear rubble following the collapse of the East Wing of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
Trump initially chose McCrery Architects to design the ballroom. A White House official told Fox News that McCrery will remain a valued advisor on the project.
Construction of the ballroom began in October and led to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing.
The project is privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million, up from a $200 million estimate in July when the project was announced.
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As construction began on the ballroom that President Donald Trump planned to build in Washington on October 20, heavy machinery destroyed part of the East Wing of the White House. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump provided an update on the construction at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying: ““I can’t say my wife is very excited.”
““He hears pile driving in the background all day, all night,” he said.
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McCrery Architects rendering of the new ballroom provided by the White House. (White House)
President says overhaul has been needed for 150 years, adding, “I think it will be the best ballroom ever built.”
The White House has previously said the long-planned addition would be designed to host large meetings and state visits and would be completed before the end of Trump’s term.
