The White House said it was not feasible to save the East Wing because of structural and other concerns as officials shared details of President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom at Thursday’s meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission.
Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, ticked off issues including an unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination in explaining why it was more economical to tear down the East Wing to make room for the $400 million ballroom than to renovate it.
“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.
