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The White House has announced plans to build a $200 million ballroom.
It will be built adjacent to the mansion's East Wing. The White House on Thursday announced plans to break ground in September on the project, which could prove to be the most extensive one since President Harry Truman completed an entire renovation in 1952, Reuters reported.
The White House was originally finished in 1800 and partially rebuilt after being burned by the British during the War of 1812.
President Donald Trump, a former real estate developer with a penchant for decorating, has long complained the White House lacked a large-scale ballroom for entertaining, according to Reuters.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that work on the 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) facility will be completed "long before" Trump's four-year term ends in January 2029.
The $200 million cost of the ballroom, which will be able to seat 650 people, will be donated by Trump and other donors, she said, according to Reuters.
Presidents have used the intimate State Dining Room for events, as well as the larger East Room for bigger VIP lists, and sometimes will have a tent temporarily constructed on the South Lawn to host big dinners.
"When it rains, it's a disaster," Trump said of the tents when asked about the new ballroom on Thursday, according to Reuters.
The East Wing of the White House will be "modernized" as part of the project. Offices there, including the one used by First Lady Melania Trump, will be temporarily relocated, Leavitt said.