How to Ensure That the New 90,000 sq ft Ballroom Does Not Dwarf the 55,000 sq ft White House
President Trump directs that the new White House ballroom be 90,000 square feet. The American people should understand that the present options for large state dinners are unacceptable. The State Dining Room only holds 140 guests, and large tents are erected on the South Lawn for larger dinners. The President must have a dignified option for large state dinners.
Chief Architect James McCrery II is concerned that the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom will overshadow the White House, which is 55,000 square feet. A fundamental architectural principle is not to add an addition to a building that is larger than the original. This is about proportion.
The solution is to build the new ballroom underground. Options and advantages of an underground ballroom are listed in the chart below.
The President can choose a glass roof, a feature that no other head-of-state ballroom in the world has.
In lieu of windows, the walls should have large-screen TVs that can show live feeds from the guest’s countries. For example, when hosting the French prime minister, the screens can show live feeds from The Élysée Palace with Le Drapeau Tricolore flying, the Normandy-American Cemetery with both Old Glory and the Le Drapeau Tricolore flying together, etc. Paris is six hours ahead of Washington DC. As the dinner concludes, one screen can show the sun rising on France’s Mediterranean coast - the area where the sun reaches France first.
State dinners are always at night so there is no need for window views anyway.
If the President chooses to have the entire ballroom underground, the area above the ballroom can be a beautiful park named for the President.
The park should have a raised platform to allow the President to address worldwide audiences and to speak with the press. When not being used, the platform should be lowered into the ground to allow the parks beauty to be undisturbed and flawless.
If the entire ballroom is underground, the ceiling should be completely covered with connecting TV screens. This allows the audience to look up to show a military aircraft flyover preceding the President’s remarks.
The President can also select a retractable roof similar to sports stadiums. Once the roof is closed, the ceiling can be completely covered in interconnecting screens to accommodate the picture of a warm Washington D.C. spring day with drifting clouds, a military aircraft flyover, or anything that will honor and please the guests.
| Advantages of each | Underground ballroom with glass roof | Underground ballroom with retractable roof | Underground ballroom with solid roof |
|---|---|---|---|
| This would be a unique ballroom that no other head-of state has | 👍 | 👍 | 👍 |
| Does not visually overwhelm the White House | 👍 | 👍 | 👍 |
| Allows for the ceiling to be covered in interconnecting TV screens to show flyovers, etc. | 👍 | 👍 | |
| In lieu of large windows, the large screen TVs on walls allows the display of outdoor scenes or scenes of country being hosted | 👍 | 👍 | 👍 |
| Improved security over ballroom aboveground | 👍 | 👍 | 👍 |
| Allows for a Presidential Park | 👍 | ||
| Allows for the President to make remarks or speeches in the Park | 👍 |
The East Wing of the White House was demolished in 2025 to make way for the new ballroom. The East Wing contained beautiful oak parquet floors that were installed in 1903 during the Teddy Roosevelt administration. Let’s hope that this historic flooring is reinstalled in a place of honor in the new ballroom.
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