White House sued by historic preservation group over ballroom plans

A nonprofit organization charged by the U.S. Congress with helping preserve historic sites has sued the White House to stop construction of President Donald Trump’s new ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit Friday, arguing that the White House failed to request necessary reviews before demolishing the historic East Wing in October.

“No president is legally authorized to demolish parts of the White House without review – not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, not anyone else,” the lawsuit says.

The White House called the project a “much-needed and exquisite addition.”

The lawsuit represents the first major legal challenge to the ballroom project.

The organization is asking a federal court in Washington, D.C., to halt construction of the addition until the White House “complies with the law by going through legally mandated review processes,” including a public comment period, according to a statement.

“The White House is arguably our nation’s most evocative building and a globally recognized symbol of our powerful American ideals,” said Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization established in 1949 with a congressional charter.

The group said it was “compelled” to go to court after the White House ignored concerns it raised in October.

In the lawsuit, the group claims the White House broke the law by starting construction without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission, failing to request an environmental assessment of the project and refusing to seek congressional authorization.

It also accuses Trump of violating the US Constitution, “which reserves to Congress the right to dispose of and make all rules concerning property belonging to the United States.”

The White House said in a statement Friday responding to the lawsuit that “President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House — just as all of his predecessors have done.”

The East Wing was demolished in October to make way for Trump’s multimillion-dollar ballroom, which he says is funded by private donors.

Since then, the proposed project has grown from a 500-person capacity ballroom to a space that can accommodate 1,350 guests.

The White House had previously promised that its construction plan would be evaluated by the National Capital Planning Commission before work began, but the lawsuit claims the site is already undergoing significant construction.

The lawsuit describes the White House grounds as “a bustling construction site, with dozens of workers driving piles, stockpiling materials and assembling heavy machinery.”

“Last week, a massive construction crane was erected on the White House grounds, and President Trump reported that work on the Ballroom project could be heard all night long.”

Last week, the White House replaced the architect overseeing the project. The previous lead architect reportedly clashed with Trump officials over the size and scope of the addition.

On Thursday evening, Trump, a former real estate developer, promised the ballroom would be built before he leaves office in 2028.

“You know, for 150 years they’ve been trying to create a ballroom,” Trump said at the Congressional Ball.

“They never did it, but we did it. In a very short period of time, about a year and a half, you’ll have the best ballroom in the country.”