Preservationists sue to halt Trump's 90,000-sq-ft White House ballroom project

A Washingtonbased nonprofit organisation the National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administrations construction of a large new ballroom connected to the White Houses east wing Al Jazeera reportedAccording to Al Jazeera the legal challengefiled on Fridaytargets one of US President Donald Trumps major renovation projects a proposed 90000squarefoot expansion to the White House complexPreservationists have long criticised the project saying it alters the historic character of the building and that the administration failed to follow proper review procedures However this marks the first formal legal effort to halt the constructionCalling the White House one of the most significant symbols of American ideals National Trust President Carol Quillen said the organisation felt obligated to interveneAs the group responsible for safeguarding places where our history unfolded the National Trust was compelled to file this case she said as quoted by Al JazeeraThe lawsuit alleges multiple violations including the administrations failure to submit construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission lack of an environmental assessment and failure to obtain congressional approval for construction within a federal parkIt further argues that the administrations actions violate the US Constitutions property clause which grants Congress authority over federal property as reported by Al JazeeraThe Trust had previously called for a pause in construction in letters to the National Capital Planning Commission the National Park Service and the Commission of Fine ArtsWhile the Trump administration has not responded to the lawsuit officials have maintained that the project complies with the law Al Jazeera reportedIn October Trump aide and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed the National Trust as run by a bunch of loser Democrats and liberal donors playing political gamesPresident Trumpwho has a background in real estateis a strong proponent of the ballroom projectDemolition work on part of the east wing began in October The new ballroom is expected to seat nearly 1000 guests up from the previously announced 650The estimated cost has risen from USD 200 million to USD 300 million with the administration claiming that private donors are funding the project as reported by Al JazeeraIf completed the ballroom would represent the most significant physical change to the White House during Trumps tenure and would dramatically exceed the buildings current 55000squarefoot footprintCritics argue the expansion would overwhelm the current east and west wings whose proportions have remained largely unchanged since the early 19th centuryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever