Ohio State grad James McCrery to design ballroom at White House
White House demolition historic impact according to experts
President Trump’s plan to replace the East Wing with a ballroom raises alarm among preservationists and historians.
An Ohio State University graduate is designing President Donald Trump’s massive White House ballroom that includes the controversial demolition of the East Wing.
Trump selected McCrery Architects to lead the design for the 90,000 square foot ballroom, according to a media release from the administration. The Washington-based architecture firm is owned by James McCrery, a practitioner of classical and traditional architecture and a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
McCrery also has local ties, as a graduate of Ohio State’s architecture program.
“Presidents in the modern era have faced challenges hosting major events at the White House because it has been untouched since President Harry Truman,” McCrery said in the statement issued in July by the Trump administration.
“I am honored that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People’s House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance.”
The construction of the ballroom began in September, according to the news release. The entire project is expected to cost $300 million, $100 million more than what Trump said when he announced the project. The square footage of the ballroom allows a capacity of 650 people, according to the Trump administration.
The East Wing has already been demolished. It was constructed in 1902 and renovated several times, including a second story that was added in 1942, according to the administration’s news release.
Who is James McCrery?
McCrery received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from OSU, where he studied in the 1980s, according to his biography. He is a registered architect and an associate professor at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture and Planning in Washington, D.C. He also directs the university’s Concentration in Classical Architecture and Urbanism at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, according to his university biography.
He is the principal and founder of McCrery Architects, which specializes in civic, religious, and institutional projects. The firm’s work has received several awards. Its portfolio includes projects at the U.S. Capitol and United States Supreme Court, and the recently completed cathedral church in Knoxville, his biography states.
McCrery is also a life member and an executive board member of the Supreme Court Historical Society, a founding member of the National Civic Art Society, an inaugural Fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at Catholic University, and he serves as a National Design Peer of the U.S. General Services Administration.
During Trump’s first term, he appointed McCrery to a four-year term on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which ended last year.
Demolition of the East Wing draws ire from architecture organization
Trump’s ballroom project has drawn criticism in both political and architectural circles.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in late October found that 56% of Americans oppose the ballroom project. While 62% of Republican respondents supported the change, 88% of Democrats opposed it.
Before the East Wing demolition, the Society of Architectural Historians said the organization had concerns about the project.
“Such a significant change to a historic building of this import should follow a rigorous and deliberate design and review process,” the Oct. 16 statement said, noting that the ballroom would be the first major change to the exterior of the White House in 83 years.
The American Institute of Architects condemned the Trump administration over the destruction of the East Wing. The organization accused Trump of reneging on his claim that the construction of the ballroom would not touch the East Wing. The East Wing previously was home to the First Lady’s office, the President’s Theater and served as the public entrance for White House tours.
“This undertaking calls into question not only the integrity of the architecture involved, but the transparency, process and public stewardship that underlie our civic built environment,” the organization said in an Oct. 24 statement.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at [email protected], at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
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