The White House Ballroom...a Megalomaniac’s Folly...
A few facts and figures regarding
the White House and the new throne room being erected in place of the East
Wing...and why this should be pondered, taken for the serious issue it is, and
why people need to speak up and fight back...
The city of Washington was designed by Pierre L'Enfant. George Washington himself picked the site for the "President's House," as it would be called until officially renamed "White House" in the early 1900's. The original footprint for what was originally referred to on blueprints of the time as the "President's Palace" showed a huge structure, at least four times the size of the current White House main building. Thought to be too large in scale for a young country that had purged itself from monarchical rule, the general size was scaled down and a contest was held to pick the final design. Thomas Jefferson was among the architects who submitted designs. Washington chose a design by an Irish architect, James Hoban. The White House was huge, and remained the largest private residence in the country until Biltmore was constructed in the late 1800's. The founding fathers knew the world was watching, and wanted to make sure the country, including it's symbolic buildings and landmarks, did not evoke the kind of over the top grandeur European palaces had. America was a democracy, ruled by ordinary citizens. The White House was to be a reflection of that mindset. The East Room, where almost all state dinners or other formal occasions are held, is the largest room in the house, and can accommodate 200 guests. It's always been crowded, but again, this is not a palace, and the size and scale of the banquets and functions held at the White House were never meant to be of kingly proportions.
The White House has had major additions to it before; in the 1800's when horticulture was the fashionable rage, huge greenhouses were erected where the current West Wing and colonnade stand. These enormous structures of iron and glass were not the most beautiful; they dwarfed the White House itself, and were subject to constant repairs due to leaking glass panes and even fires. They were finally torn down toward the beginning of the 20th century, to colonnade restored to it's original state, and the West Wing added to relieve the burden on the overpopulation of the main house. The most controversial change to the house came in 1952 when, after over a century of hard use, the original structure began to literally fall apart. The fire of 1814 (invading British troops burned the house, NOT Canadians as Trump inaccurately said in an interview once), the interior brick skin of the house was damaged badly, but appeared stable, so the house was rebuilt without replacing the brick. Over the years, the brick began to crumble and deteriorate and could no longer support the weight of the house. President Truman, who witnessed a chandelier fall from it's ceiling mount during a press conference, ordered the White House cleared out, and a major reconstruction of the house began. Carefully removing any interior items such as doors and plaster ornamentation, the house was rebuilt in steel and concrete, and the entire footprint was rebuilt exactly as the original. The reconstruction may have been necessary to save the house, but the integrity of the space remained, as the most important symbol of American democracy.
Why Trump's ballroom is wrong...
The ballroom is 90,000 square feet, and its footprint is larger than the main house. This alone is distasteful, as, like the huge conservatories a century ago, it will dwarf the main house, throwing off proportions and even making the house itself seem less imposing and significant. Trump claims the ballroom can hold 999 people; the actual capacity is only 650, which still seems inappropriate for "The People's House." In order to allow for such a large annex, the East Wing is being all but demolished, even though Trump promised the existing structure would remain unharmed. Betrayal enough, the cost is also a controversial issue, for good reason. The cost of the project is estimated at $250 million dollars. Although it has been said that "loyal patriots" are contributing to much of the cost, including Trump himself, I doubt it is being financed solely on the benevolence of a handful of wealthy patrons. If truth be unearthed, it's the American taxpayer paying for the project. Equally disturbing is that construction began in conjunction with the recent government shutdown. Democrats are being blamed, while it's the Republicans in Congress who refused to negotiate regarding this country's health care system that caused Democrats to put a halt to signatures before the shutdown was scheduled to occur. But, despite the thousands of people furloughed without pay, the ballroom project is moving forward. It's just NOT a good look. Artist renderings below show what the completed structure will look like. It's not that the addition is being constructed, but the WAY things are being done, and how it was gone about. Also consider the amount of maintenance, inside and out, a structure this enormous will require; it will probably double the current maintenance costs, passed onto the American taxpayer.
Everything he touches, he destroys.
