National Trust Sues To Halt New White House Ballroom — Chief Says She Trusts Trump-Appointed Planner To Review Plans

The president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Carol Quillen, said Friday she trusts Will Scharf, the Trump-appointed chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), to conduct a careful and deliberate review of plans for a proposed new ballroom at the White House.

Quillen told reporters she takes Scharf "at his word" after he told the NCPC at its December meeting that the commission would treat any formal submission seriously and would review it at a "normal and deliberative pace." Scharf indicated he expected to receive the White House plans this month.

"I take him at his word that the process will be conducted as it always is, deliberately and seriously, and that the commission will do its job," Quillen said.

The White House has not answered repeated inquiries about when it will provide detailed ballroom designs to the NCPC and the Commission of Fine Arts. The NCPC published its January meeting agenda listing the "East Wing Modernization Project" as an "information presentation," often the first step in formal review.

Legal Challenge And Court Schedule

Last week, the National Trust filed federal litigation asking a court to halt construction until the project undergoes independent reviews, invites public comment, and secures any required congressional approvals. The administration responded that the lawsuit is premature because plans have not been finalized.

Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House where the East Wing once stood, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A federal judge denied the Trust's request for a temporary restraining order this week but set a January hearing on the group's motion for a preliminary injunction. If granted, a preliminary injunction would pause construction while independent reviews are completed — a process that could take months.

What The Trust Says And Why It Sued

Quillen said the Trust pursued legal action only as a last resort after repeated attempts to engage the administration. The organization, chartered in part to ensure public participation in decisions affecting the nation's historic resources, argues the White House — "arguably the nation's most iconic building" — deserves full public and expert scrutiny before major alterations proceed.

The complaint says the National Trust wrote to the NCPC, the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Park Service (which manages White House grounds) on Oct. 21, after demolition of the East Wing began, asking the administration to pause work and comply with federal review requirements. The lawsuit says the Trust received no response.

Administration's Position And Project Details

The administration maintains the ballroom plans are not finalized despite ongoing demolition and site-preparation work, and it says construction is not expected to begin before April 2026 at the earliest. The government also argues that past presidents have long modified the Executive Mansion and that the president has authority to make certain changes without the statutes cited by the Trust applying.

President Trump has proposed a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom — large enough to accommodate about 999 people — on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished in October. Quillen said that demolition "caught us by surprise." Cost estimates for the project have risen from about $200 million to roughly $400 million, and the White House has said it will not use public funds to pay for construction. Officials also say they expect the ballroom to be completed before the end of the president's current term in January 2029.

As the dispute proceeds to court and to federal review bodies, key questions remain about process, timing and whether statutory review and congressional oversight are required for the proposed changes to the White House complex.