Work has begun on President Donald Trump's long-awaited ballroom at the White House, with the demolition of part of the East Wing façade. The project, designed by McCrery Architects and executed by Clark Construction with engineering by AECOM, involves the creation of a space measuring approximately 8,400 square metres, with capacity for 650 guests.

According to The Washington Post, the work involves replacing historic sections of the East Wing to house the new State Ballroom, at an estimated cost of £200 million. ‘The East Wing was built in 1902 and has been renovated and modified many times, with a second floor added in 1942,’ the White House said in July.

Historians and experts have expressed concern about the scale of the intervention, which they consider one of the most controversial transformations since Harry S. Truman's renovation. 

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