Although the renovation project of the White House banquet hall is facing doubts and criticism from American society, President Donald Trump remains committed to advancing the project. According to a report by European News Television on August 23, details of the White House banquet hall project revealed by Joshua Fischer, the director of the White House Executive Office, show that the White House is sending a batch of high-quality limestone to Italy to be used for carving the columns of the White House banquet hall.
The White House stated that the banquet hall will be equipped with air-raid shelters, medical facilities, conference rooms, rooftop aprons for drones and helicopters, bulletproof windows, and anti-drone ceilings. A Corinthian-style colonnade will be built in front of the banquet hall, creating a striking contrast with the nearby U.S. Supreme Court and the Capitol building’s colonnades.
Fisher said that the colonnade will be carved by “some of the greatest artists in the world.” “It’s not yet clear who they are, but they are from Italy. The highest-quality limestone mined in Indiana, USA, has been transported there.” He claimed that the exterior of the banquet hall is expected to be “mostly completed” by April 2028.
White House Banquet Hall Construction Site IC Photo
European News Network pointed out that although Fischer did not disclose more details, these American limestone materials are likely to be transported to Calabria, in the northwestern part of Tuscany, Italy. Calabria is known as the historic capital of marble in Italy.
Previously, the city of Carrara had provided Trump with many decorative items. For example, in 2010, MTStone Carrara, a construction equipment supplier from Carrara, produced 150 square meters of white onyx panels for the Trump International Hotel.
In July last year, the White House announced a project to renovate the banquet hall. Subsequently, the East Wing of the White House was quickly demolished to make space for the construction of the banquet hall. The White House banquet hall covers an area of over 8,000 square meters. More than 200 workers have been hired, and it is expected that a large amount of steel, concrete, marble, and gold will be used in the construction.
However, this plan has sparked widespread criticism in American society. The National Historical Preservation Trust Fund, an American organization dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage, believes that the project has not yet received congressional approval, and Trump has no right to initiate this project unilaterally. This organization filed a lawsuit at the end of last year. In March of this year, Judge Richard Leon of the District of Columbia Federal Court ordered a temporary halt to construction on the White House Ballroom project. The Trump administration immediately appealed the decision.
On August 7, the U.S. District Court of Columbia ruled to uphold a stay order issued by a lower court regarding the renovation project of the White House banquet hall. On August 14, the U.S. government filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. On August 21, Chief Justice John Roberts signed an administrative stay order, temporarily allowing the White House to continue with the construction of the banquet hall.
