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President Donald Trump announced the addition of a new dance room to the White House to expand his ability to host larger events.
Bethesda, Clark Construction, based in Maryland, will lead the team Building the spaceAccording to a statement from the White House of July 31. The project will cost $ 200 million, according to launch, with funds with Trump and other donors.
The new dance room of the white house will be “substantially separated” from the main part of the White House, but will be designed in the same architectural style as the rest of the structure. It will be built outside the east wing, which was first built in 1902. He has seen multiple renewals and won a second story in 1942, the statement said.
The ballroom will add about 90,000 total square feet of space with a capacity of 650 people, an increase in the capacity of seats of 200 people in the east room of the White House, according to the statement.
Critics said it could be the construction of the facilities extending to the White House enclosure detrimental to historical conservationAccording to the New York Times.
“It could hurt the property for all,” he told The Times Richard Longstreth, a professor of North -American Studies at George Washington University. “Unfortunately no checks and balances.”
In the meantime, Jonathan Jarvis, former director of the National Park Service, called into question the timeline to build the dance hall at the end of Trump’s second term.
“You don’t see one of these projects happening so fast,” Jarvis told The Times. “It will be a hurry to get it done. “”
In addition to Clark, Aecom, based in Dallas, he was appointed project engineering team leader, and Washington, McCrery Architects, DC, will provide designs as architects in the project. Clark did not respond to the request for comments from Construction Dive and Aecom referred to the questions in the White House. The value of each company’s contract was not disseminated.
“I am honored that President Trump has trusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renewal to the house of the people, while retaining the elegance of his classic design and his historical importance,” said Jim McCrery, CEO of McCrery Architects, in the launch.
The project is scheduled to begin construction in September and will end before the end of Trump’s second term, according to the statement.
