Bold opening: Trump’s East Wing upgrades reveal a design shift that could redefine the White House’s silhouette—and the debate around it isn’t finished yet.
President Trump’s latest East Wing ballroom plans add new details and several notable changes compared with earlier designs. The White House submitted the final plans to the National Capital Planning Commission in advance of a March 5 review, where a Trump-allied board is expected to approve the project.
A single pediment instead of two
Source: Shalom Baranes Associates.
In an earlier release from December, Shalom Baranes—the firm now serving as the architect for the project—showed both the east and south porticoes with triangular pediments. The latest plan removes the south pediment, leaving the east pediment as the remaining feature. The east portico pediment, however, remains and stands about four feet taller than the executive residence roof line, drawing criticism that the design would overwhelm the White House’s existing scale.
Updated windows and doorways
Source: Shalom Baranes Associates.
The west-facing ballroom level now features nine arched windows, up from eight in prior plans. The first-floor windows have been redesigned to include more doorways opening onto the new East Wing garden.
A redesigned garden
This set of renderings is the first to show a garden replacing the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, which was demolished with the old East Wing.
Sources: Nearmap (2025 aerial image); Shalom Baranes Associates.
Renderings illustrate a grand staircase from the new East Colonnade down to the garden, with stone-paved paths linking the garden to the East Wing’s first floor. The plan describes a larger garden than the old one, featuring a circular brick area and replanting trees from the previous garden. The fountain from the old garden is slated for restoration in the new layout.
Asymmetrical South Lawn pathway
To accommodate the East Wing’s substantial footprint, the main South Lawn path has been redesigned to be asymmetrical, according to renderings.
Sources: Nearmap (2025 aerial image); Shalom Baranes Associates.
The final designs retain the overall footprint established in January, signaling that Trump has rejected proposals to scale the building down. Architects noted last month that the White House was considering a modest one-story addition to the West Colonnade to restore symmetry to the central pavilion.
Would you prefer a smaller, more balanced design, or does the current scale better convey monumentality at the White House? Share your thoughts in the comments.
