STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
President Trump chose a new architect for a new $300 million ballroom at the White House. The construction has so far involved the demolition of the entire East Wing. The project was led by James McCrery but now is being taken over by a different architect, Shalom Baranes. NPR has confirmed this change, which was first reported by Jonathan Edwards of The Washington Post, who's on the line. Good morning.
JONATHAN EDWARDS: Good morning, Steve. Thanks for having me.
INSKEEP: Glad you're with us. I don't get it. They already tore down the East Wing. They've already showed the world artwork of a really big ballroom. Is the design not already done?
EDWARDS: It is definitely in the works, according to our reporting. But as you said, Shalom Baranes has taken the reins and James McCrery is out.
INSKEEP: But I want to understand what is left to be done. Is the design not final? Have we been shown images that aren't really worked out as plans?
EDWARDS: The renderings and even the model in the Oval Office, you know, these are essentially just sort of concepts. Many, many of the architects I've talked to about this project, or really any project of this scale, is that the proof is in the pudding. And the pudding is the blueprints. And until they see those final schematics with the, like, kind of hardcore architectural details, you know, the other stuff doesn't really matter. And those blueprints are, you know, as I understand it, very much a work in progress.
INSKEEP: Very interesting to know that now that the East Wing is already torn down. But did the former architect, James McCrery, have some kind of disagreement with the president?
EDWARDS: Our reporting - and by our reporting I mean me and my reporting partner, Dan Diamond...
INSKEEP: Right.
EDWARDS: ...Found that they did have some pretty significant disagreements when it came to creative differences, mainly along the lines of the size of the ballroom. Donald Trump wanted to keep pushing it bigger and bigger, namely in terms of capacity. Whereas James McCrery, who's a classical architect, wanted to keep it smaller and specifically smaller than the White House main mansion.
INSKEEP: Oh, and I guess we should give some numbers here. The mansion itself is 55,000 square feet, which is pretty big. But the ballroom was to be 90,000 square feet. It would be larger than the main house. Does that violate some architectural principle?
EDWARDS: It does violate a general rule that any sort of addition or annex should be subordinate to the main building both in terms of size but also height, and also detail. So you don't want an addition that is more ornate than the main building itself. And certainly, you don't want one that's taller or bigger and that would dwarf the main building. The main building, and certainly when it comes to something as symbolically powerful and meaningful as the White House, you really want that main mansion to be the focal point.
INSKEEP: Now, I did read your reporting, which indicates there are other factors here. McCrery's firm was accused of not meeting deadlines, not being big enough to handle this project. But we also have these creative differences. In a couple of - in a sentence or so, does Trump now have an architect who is willing to do the building the way that he wants?
EDWARDS: He has Shalom Baranes, who, you know, has more firepower in his firm and more experience than James McCrery, yes.
INSKEEP: OK. Jonathan Edwards, reporter for The Washington Post. Thanks so much.
EDWARDS: Thanks for having me.
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