A group of historic preservationists is suing the White House over plans for the ballroom.

 

White House, USA (Image : Getty Image/BBC)

A nonprofit organisation tasked by the US Congress with helping preserve historic sites has sued the White House to stop construction on President Donald Trump's new ballroom.

 The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the suit on Friday, arguing that the White House failed to seek necessary reviews before demolishing the historic East Wing in October.

 "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, and not anyone else," the lawsuit says.

 The White House has called the project a "much needed and exquisite addition".

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The lawsuit represents the first major legal challenge to the ballroom project.

 According to a statement, the organization is asking a federal court in Washington, DC, to stop building the addition until the White House "complies with the law by going through the legally mandated review processes," which include a public comment period. "The White House is arguably the most evocative building in our country and a globally recognized symbol of our powerful American ideals," said Carol Quillen, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organisation created in 1949 with a congressional charter.

 After raising concerns in October, the group asserted that it was "compelled" to go to court. In the lawsuit, the group argues that the White House broke the law by beginning construction without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission, by not seeking an environmental assessment of the project, and by declining to seek authorisation from Congress.

 It also says that Trump is breaking the US Constitution, which "reserves to Congress the right to dispose of and make all rules regarding property belonging to the United States." This is also something that it says Trump is doing. The White House said in a statement responding to the lawsuit on Friday that "President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House - just like all of his predecessors did."

In October, the East Wing was torn down to make room for Trump's multimillion-dollar ballroom, which he claims is funded by private donors. Since then, the proposed blueprint has expanded from a ballroom with a capacity of 500 people to a space that can fit 1,350 guests.

 The lawsuit asserts that the site is already undergoing extensive construction, despite the White House's earlier promise that the National Capital Planning Commission would evaluate its construction plan before construction began. "A bustling construction site, with dozens of workers driving piles, stockpiling materials, and amassing heavy machinery," the lawsuit describes the White House grounds. "Just last week, a massive construction crane was put up on the grounds of the White House, and President Trump said that work on the Ballroom Project could be heard all night," Last week, the White House replaced the architect overseeing the project.  The previous lead architect had reportedly clashed with Trump officials over the size and scope of the addition.

Source: BBC NEWS.