Donald Trump’s plan to build a ballroom at the White House has been given final approval by a key commission – just days after a judge ordered construction to stop.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the agency responsible for approving construction on federal property in Washington, approved the plans to build the ballroom in a vote on Thursday.
Commission chairman Will Scharf, a top aide in the Trump administration and the president’s former lawyer, said a judge’s ruling on Tuesday that construction should be halted for two weeks “really does not impact our action here today”.
Mr Trump’s plan to build a 90,000sq ft ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing will mark the biggest structural change to the White House in more than 70 years if it is completed.
Before the vote, Mr Scharf delivered a defence of the project touching on past additions to the White House that were criticised at the time but have since become beloved.
Trump holds an image of a rendering of the new White House ballroom. Pic: Reuters
He spoke of the addition of the north and south porticos and the balcony added by President Harry Truman.
“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” Mr Scharf said.
US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts the construction project until the plan has undergone independent reviews and obtained congressional approval.
A model of the new White House ballroom. Pic: Reauters
Judge Leon wrote: “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!”
The site of the demolished East Wing. Pic: Reuters
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The commission’s vote, including three members appointed by Mr Trump, had initially been scheduled for March but was pushed to Thursday because so many people signed up to comment on it at the commission’s meeting.
Trump pauses press conference to view ballroom
The only no vote was cast by Phil Mendelson, a Democrat who chairs the Council of the District of Columbia, who criticised the design of the ballroom for being too large.
The commission also considered some design changes announced by Mr Trump on Sunday, including removing a large staircase on the building’s south side and adding an uncovered porch on the west side.
The staircase has been criticised as there is no way to enter the ballroom from them under the plans.