White House makeover: Inside details of Donald Trump's new proposed East Wing Ballroom

President Donald Trump's latest plans for the East Wing ballroom revealed new details and a few notable changes from earlier designs. The updated plans were approved by the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel stacked with Trump allies, on Thursday. The White House also submitted the final plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, before a March 5 meeting, where a board that is also filled by Trump appointees is expected to approve the project.

Asymmetrical Pathway

To accommodate the massive size of the proposed East Wing, the main pathway around the South Lawn has been altered and is no longer symmetrical, renderings show.


The final designs submitted this month have the same overall footprint as the plans from January, making clear Trump has rejected calls to make the building smaller.

The architects said last month that the White House was considering adding a "modest one-story addition" to the West Colonnade, to "restore a sense of symmetry to the original central pavilion."

One Pediment, Not Two

In an earlier design released by Shalom Baranes -- the new architect hired by Trump in December -- the east and south porticoes each had a triangular pediment. The one on the south portico has been removed in the latest plan.

But the pediment on the east portico remains and its height is about 4 feet taller than the roof of the executive residence. Critics have said the design would dwarf the existing White House.

Changed Windows and Doorways

The number of arched windows facing west on the ballroom level has increased to nine from eight.

In addition, the first floor windows have been redesigned, with more doorways leading to the new East Wing garden.

A New Garden

These are the first renderings that include details about a garden that would replace the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, which was demolished with the old East Wing.

Renderings show a grand staircase from the new East Colonnade to the garden. Stone-paved paths connect the garden to the first floor of the new East Wing.

According to the plans, the new garden is larger than the old one, and will include a circular brick area and trees replanted from the old garden. The fountain from the old garden will also be brought back.