More economical to demolish East Wing than renovate, White House says

White House officials have said it was more economical to demolish the East Wing for President Donald Trump's new ballroom than to renovate it, citing structural issues.

Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, told a planning commission that the wing had "significant deficiencies and overall poor structural design and construction".

The East Wing was demolished in October to make way for President Donald Trump's multi-million dollar ballroom, which he says is being paid for by private donors.

The ballroom is now projected to cost $400m (£298m), which is twice the original estimate.

White House officials told members of the National Capital Planning Commission (NPCC) on Thursday that the East Wing had "chronic water intrusion, accelerated deterioration and mould contamination".

"Because of this and other factors, the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy," Fisher said.

The chairman of the District of Columbia council, Democrat Phil Mendelson, who sits on the commission, asked why the project had not been presented to the commission in its entirety before the demolition of the East Wing began.

Fisher said some things about the ballroom's construction were of a "top secret nature".

William Scharf, the commission chair who was appointed by Trump in July, said the commission does not usually have jurisdiction over site work and demolition on any project, including those at the White House.

Though the White House and its adjoining parks are administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the president generally has broad powers to make renovations.

The White House ballroom project is also expected to add a second storey to the West Wing, which houses offices for staff.

Ballroom architect Shalom Baranes said the addition would help make the building more uniform with the new ballroom being built on the other side of the White House.

He said the ballroom would span 22,000 sq ft and accommodate 1,000 seated guests at a formal dinner. There would also be two entry lobbies, a commercial kitchen, an office for the first lady and a movie theatre, he added.

After its completion, the ballroom is expected to be larger than the rest of the existing White House.

According to US media the previous architect had reportedly clashed with Trump over the ballroom's size, fearing it would overshadow the rest of the White House.

The total area of the new East Wing, including two floors and the ballroom, would be slightly more than 89,000 sq ft (8268 sq m), Baranes said. It will include a two-storey colonnade that connects the White House's East Room to the new ballroom.

The house where the president lives and entertains is 55,000 sq ft while the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and other work spaces, is 40,000 sq ft, according to the White House Historical Association.

A nonprofit organisation tasked by the US Congress with helping preserve historic sites - the National Trust for Historic Preservation - sued the White House in December to stop construction of the ballroom.

The trust argues that the White House failed to seek necessary reviews before demolishing the historic East Wing in October and should have filed plans with the commission before starting construction.

The White House has said the project will be completed before Trump's term ends in January 2029.