Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 20
Justice Department Appeals 65%-Built White House Ballroom Halt to Supreme Court
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 20

Justice Department Appeals 65%-Built White House Ballroom Halt to Supreme Court

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 20

Summary

  • Friday is the key deadline: without Supreme Court intervention, a D.C. Circuit ruling requiring congressional authorization will let a lower-court injunction halt White House ballroom construction.
  • 65% of the $400 million project is already complete, according to a White House declaration, with $355 million raised privately and a 250-person crew working 20 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • 6.4 million pounds of rebar and 18,000 cubic yards of concrete have already gone into the structure, which has reached roof level in places and spans 50,000 square feet.
  • The filing also shows the planned East Wing addition includes bomb shelters, medical facilities, top-secret military spaces, drone-proof features and blast-resistant glass, with completion targeted for August 2028.
  • Separately, a Kennedy Center court filing said Trump's allies on the board approved restoring his name to the facade and naming the grounds Trump Plaza, while a tarp remains over the front amid repairs and marble-damage concerns.

Insights

With a looming Supreme Court deadline, will the massive privately-funded White House ballroom construction face a permanent halt?
How will a surprise two-year closure and $285 million overhaul reshape the historic architectural legacy of the Kennedy Center?
Can private donations legally bypass historic preservation laws to permanently alter America's most iconic federal landmarks?