Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump, who is remodeling the White House to his tastes, will build a massive ballroom for hosting official receptions, one of the largest projects at the US executive mansion in over a century.
Trump himself and unspecified donors will foot the bill for the $200 million project, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing on Thursday.
"For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex," the spokeswoman said.
"There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms," the 79-year-old president and former real estate developer told reporters of the latest bid to leave his mark on the White House.
"I'm good at building things, and we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful," said Trump, assuring that the character of the original building would be preserved.
The new structure will span over 8,000 square meters (90,000 square feet) and have space to seat 650 people, according to Leavitt.
Work on the ballroom -- one of Trump's long-time ambitions -- will begin in September and is expected to be completed "well before" the end of his second term in January 2029, Leavitt said.
The hope is it will host grand state dinners, given in honor of foreign heads of state visiting Washington. Until now, these were generally done by erecting a huge tent on the White House grounds.
A model of the ballroom presented by the government shows it will be a white building with tall windows. Its columns and front look reminiscent of the main White House building, a facade is known worldwide.
The ballroom building will replace the East Wing, which usually houses the offices of the US first lady.
Trump, who does not shy away from the gaudy, has also redone the Oval Office to splash the room in gold -- from the stars surrounding the presidential seal on the ceiling, to the gold statues on the fireplace, to the mantel itself.
The project is shaping up to be one of the most significant to break ground at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since renovation and expansion works undertaken by President Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the 20th century.
President Harry Truman also oversaw notable construction work between 1948 and 1952, but did so without changing the external structure.
Trump has said for some time that he wants to build a White House ballroom inspired by his own properties.
On Thursday, he praised the newly built, lavish ballroom -- named after himself -- at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, one of dozens of properties owned by the Trump family.
It will also be inspired by the ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, which has served as the model for Trump's remodeling of the White House to suit himself.
The Republican billionaire, inspired by the patios of Mar-a-Lago, recently ripped up the lawn at the White House's historic Rose Garden and is paving that area, where official events are often held.
He is flying two huge American flags outside the White House, which has been the residence and workplace of American presidents since 1800.