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WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump\u2019s appointees, on Thursday unanimously approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood.<\/p>\n
The meeting was supposed to be on the design, with a final vote expected at next month\u2019s session. But the chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., made a motion to also vote on final approval, and all seven commissioners, installed by the Republican president since the start of the year, voted in favor twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,\u201d Cook said before the voting. \u201cThe United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cook echoed one of Trump\u2019s arguments for adding a ballroom to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures that Trump calls tents on the South Lawn to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions.<\/p>\n
Cook said no other president had taken steps to correct that \u201cuntil President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project will be the subject of additional discussion by the National Capital Planning Commission in March.<\/p>\n
At the fine art\u2019s commission\u2019s January meeting, some commissioners questioned the lead architect about the \u201cimmense\u201d design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed Trump\u2019s vision for a ballroom roughly twice the size of the White House itself.<\/p>\n
Some changes suggested at that meeting were made and were welcomed by the commissioners on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s decision in October to demolish the East Wing prompted a public outcry when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical even for relatively minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington.<\/p>\n
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.<\/p>\n
The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump\u2019s top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n