Getty ImagesA nonprofit organization tasked by Congress with helping preserve historic sites has sued the White House to stop construction of President Donald Trump's new ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit Friday, alleging that the White House failed to obtain necessary reviews before demolishing the historic East Wing in October.
“No President is legally permitted to demolish portions of the White House without some consideration—not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, not anyone else,” the lawsuit states.
The White House called the project “a much-needed and exquisite addition.”
The lawsuit represents the first major legal challenge to the ballroom project.
The organization is asking a federal court in Washington, D.C., to halt construction of the addition until the White House “complies with the law by going through legally required review processes,” including a public comment period, according to the filing.
“The White House is perhaps our nation's most memorable building and an internationally recognized symbol of our powerful American ideals,” said Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization created in 1949 by charter of Congress.
The group said it was “compelled” to take legal action after the White House ignored concerns it raised in October.
In the lawsuit, the group argues that the White House violated the law by starting construction without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission, requesting an environmental assessment of the project and refusing to obtain congressional approval.
It also claims Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution, “which reserves to Congress the power to dispose of and make all rules concerning property belonging to the United States.”
The White House said in a statement Friday in response to the lawsuit that “President Trump has every legal right to modernize, update and beautify the White House – just as all of his predecessors have done.”
The east wing was demolished in October to make way for Trump's multimillion-dollar ballroom, which he said was funded by private donors.
The proposed project has since expanded from a 500-person ballroom to a facility capable of accommodating 1,350 guests.
The White House had previously promised that its construction plan would be evaluated by the National Capital Planning Commission before construction began, but the lawsuit contends that extensive construction is already underway at the site.
The lawsuit describes the White House grounds as a “noisy construction site where dozens of workers drive piles, stockpile materials and assemble heavy equipment.”
“Just last week, a tall construction crane was erected on the White House grounds, and President Trump said work on the ballroom project could be heard throughout the night.”
Last week, the White House changed the architect overseeing the project. The previous lead architect reportedly clashed with Trump officials over the size and scale of the addition.
On Thursday night, Trump, a former real estate developer, promised the ballroom would be built before he leaves office in 2028.
“You know, they've been trying to build a ballroom for 150 years,” Trump said at the Congressional Ball.
“They never came up with it, but we got it done. In a very short period of time, about a year and a half, you will have the best ballroom in the country.”
