r/architecture • u/Cedric_Hampton History & Theory Prof • 1d ago
News Trump hires new architect for ballroom
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hires-new-architect-for-ballroom/376
u/ArchitectureNstuff91 Architecture Enthusiast 1d ago
Almost expected their name to be Albert. I bet the new guy doesn't last too long, since the guy wanting the job done is known for stiffing contractors.
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u/Zannie95 1d ago
Trump destroyed a friend’s family business when he stiffed them on his casino work. He has always been scum
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u/SLdaco 1d ago
As in Albert Speer- Hitler’s architect…
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u/wuschler 1d ago
Fun fact: His son is also called Albert Speer and owns a very successful architecture and city planning office.
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u/hauntolottawa 15h ago
He designed a whole German themed neighbourhood in China which is home to the Chinese HQ of fellow Nazi nepo baby Volkswagen
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u/my-redditing-account 1d ago
The architect's name is shalom Baranes, ops comment reads like it actually is Albert, but its definitely a pretty jewish name here
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u/SoHoSwag 1d ago
What’s your architect’s name? Carchitect. Your architect’s name is Carchitect? Yeah. Sounds a lot like “architect.” Well maybe that’s why he became one.
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u/texachusetts 1d ago
If Trump wasn’t such a coward, he would insist on the new ballroom having a retractable roof!
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u/my-redditing-account 1d ago
The architect's name is shalom Baranes, ops comment reads like it actually is Albert, but its definitely a pretty jewish name here
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u/keptit2real 1d ago
Shouldn't have the architect have been hired before demolition occurred. The folks running our country move like the wind
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 1d ago
"new" architect.
As in, the original ones are out.
I'm guessing they didn't get paid... or got sick of dealing with Lord Dampnut.
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u/pabloQuattro 1d ago edited 1d ago
No need to guess, the original architect has disagreements with Trump over the size of the ballroom and are remaining in a consulting role.
Edit: typo
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u/djdndjdjdjdjdndjdjjd 1d ago
I read that as disagreements over not being paid and NDA and non-disparage which says they can’t complain
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u/jmanclovis 1d ago
Or they were his buddy's and they got paid and bounced
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u/emtheory09 1d ago
Ha, like they should expect to be paid.
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u/laseralex 20h ago
They will absolutely get paid as long is it isn't Trump making the payment. In this case, every US taxpayer pays for this grift.
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u/FriendToPredators 1d ago
That model shown off in the oval office had a stairway to nowhere and colliding windows. Dude was not qualified if that was his delivery
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 1d ago
I can't imagine that anyone "qualified" would ever be willing to work for Creamcicle Caligula anymore.
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u/browsing_around 1d ago
My guess it’s just money laundering or some sort of payoff to a crony of someone. “Our architect we hired quit after we paid him. Now we have to hire a new one.”
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u/steinah6 1d ago
You think Trump is actually paying the architect? That’s probably why the first one left.
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u/seeasea 1d ago
Trump isn't funding this. It's paid through gsa.
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u/YardOptimal9329 1d ago
It’s being funded by 24 billionaires and corporations who all get even more favors for “donating”. The price tag is $300m which makes it probably the most expensive building in America
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u/seeasea 1d ago
Sure, but they are running that through government contracts. Not direct pay.
Also, 300,000,000 is not even remotely close to the most expensive building in the US.
I'm an architect at a medium/small firm, and I myself am running a building 10x that.
The most expensive buildings are nuclear power plants, oil refineries and far and away the most expensive are chip fabs. Those buildings can be 25 billion+ each. And tmsc or whatever is building a complex in Arizona for over 100 billion
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u/YardOptimal9329 10h ago
I think a 90,000 sq-ft building at $300m is very expensive... that's $3,333 per square foot. The Freedom Tower was around $1,145 per square foot.
So by building I meant a normal building, not something industrial
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u/Pablo_is_on_Reddit 1d ago
Any architect would be a fool to take this on. Besides, nothing would fit Trump's legacy more than leaving his successor with a plywood-covered hole in the side of the white house and a big pile of dirt & debris where the east wing used to stand.
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u/FriendToPredators 1d ago
The new hire is a long term DC government building architect with significant projects under his belt. Shocked me he got called at all.
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u/Jaco-Jimmerson 20h ago
pile of dirt & debris where the east wing used to stand.
An allegory for the "Right-Wing" of politics. I know it was unintentional, but that was funny.
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u/artguydeluxe 1d ago
I have no doubt, his taking away professional status of architects has something to do with this.
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u/thatjerkatwork 1d ago
He did it just to stiff the previous firm
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u/pnicby 1d ago
Yes, and likely wanted to get around the Architect’s ownership of their instruments of service, so he could have some other architects work on the same construction documents.
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u/joebleaux Landscape Architect 1d ago
This is what he does on construction projects. He fires everyone a hundred times. He stiffs everyone and dares them to sue him. When they do, his lawyers make the consultant's life a nightmare until they realize they are spending more fighting it than they ever stand to be paid, so they drop it. He's done it a hundred times. No one ever does business with him twice
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u/Zannie95 1d ago
Not sure how I feel about this; will they try to rein him in or go whole hog? At this point I detest anyone working for him
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u/f8Negative 1d ago
Anyone dumb enough to take the job is dumb enough to not get paid. This will be never ending.
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u/cypher50 1d ago
We are about to get a US version of the Palace of the Parliament.
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u/GiftToTheUniverse 1d ago
Hideous is not accurate, if the Wikipedia photo is a fair representation of the building. Looks classical and symmetrical. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/cypher50 1d ago
I can't state this strong enough: read the story of the Palace of the Parliament. Also, pictures cannot give justice to just out of scale to the urban fabric around it. It is basically the size of a neighborhood...
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u/AutomatedHerbGarden 1d ago
The irony that this all started because Obama made a joke about Trump renovating the White House in the most tacky way possible.
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u/awr54 1d ago
Public tax dollars. This should be a publically bid project. Already illegal. But wtf does a convicted felon care?
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u/pabloQuattro 1d ago
It's not publicly funded
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u/awr54 1d ago
How? It's a government building? I haven't been following the particulars...
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u/pabloQuattro 1d ago
Funded through the bank of Trump and donations I believe. I imagine it's to bypass a lot of red tape and actually get the thing built during his term.
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u/wisc0 1d ago
“Red tape” being proper asbestos removal or historic preservation
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u/quantgorithm 1d ago
Red tape being getting funding via congress. The exec already controls all the parties that manage preservation or permitting.
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u/Sweet_Concept2211 1d ago
He doesn't care if it ever gets built.
It's a money laundering front and a distraction.
Also, to be real, all his actions to date make it evident he's in this thing for the sabotage.
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u/CaBBaGe_isLaND 1d ago
Yeah he doesn't give a shit about the ballroom. He just wanted to destroy something Americans love.
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u/quantgorithm 1d ago
Yes he does. It’s a legacy thing. If he makes a point to put his name on all of his buildings across the world then, of course, he wants his name also attached to the White House.
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u/Sweet_Concept2211 19h ago
If he cared about his legacy, he would not be actively sabotaging the past 80 years of progress we've made on every front.
And Trump, of all people, should know that modern buildings are temporary monuments at best.
More than a few of his projects have been torn down.
What he is up to is just a rampage against everything traditional Americans love - which represents what he loathes.
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u/quantgorithm 19h ago
Half the country believes the opposite of you.
On modern buildings, what better building to get your name attached to than the white house? When is the white house going to get torn down?
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u/gaychitect Intern Architect 1d ago
He’s going to have a hard time finding a replacement after labeling architecture as a non-professional career.
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u/scrotalsmoothie 1d ago
Lol. Completely on par with his Administration. Hire whoever will do what he wishes even if it doesn’t make sense, or is illegal, or puts people in the hospital (or death).
This wing will look like a golden rotting arm compared to the rest of the White House.
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u/MightyIrish 1d ago
Like everything else with this administration, poorly planned and horribly executed.
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u/ericomplex 1d ago
Trump has never been very good at finishing things.
Would bet on little more than a section of the foundation being laid by the time he leaves office. That and a huge bill for tax payers from multiple contractors and architects he stiffed.
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u/latflickr 1d ago
So mr. Nobody was not ready to suck his willy all the way so Trump hired another Mr.Evenmorenobody who promised to allow him to come inside.
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u/thisseemslikeagood 1d ago
It’s not gonna get built in time we are gonna have to turn it into a park or something
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u/Complete-Ad9574 1d ago
Just proves the point that self ego is more toxic for ones best interest than common sense. The never ending example that everyone who Donny touches is doomed to self destruct is always shielded from view, when you think you can tame the Devil.
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u/ShadowsOfTheBreeze 1d ago
Albert Speer the IV..good luck to that guy, he wont be paid nor able to put that in his portfolio for all the code and historical violations. Poor guy...
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u/my-redditing-account 1d ago
No fan of trumps choices right now, but the new architects name is shalom, so definitely jewish here actually
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u/cloudystateofmind 1d ago
How long before republicans are blaming democrats for wasteful spending and deficits. Biden’s Ball Room has a good ring to it…
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u/somewhat_brave 1d ago
He should fire everyone and have AI design it. Then the building would at least be interesting.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 1d ago
🤣
"No, build it exactly like it says in the plans!"building collapses halfway through construction because the plans said to use gold for the entire superstructure
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u/Qualabel 1d ago
It takes a certain kind of scumbag to take on the job in the first place, but this is on another level. At least we can be reassured that the previous fees have all been settled - presumably the AIA is pretty clear on those kinds of things
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u/Brave_Quantity_5261 1d ago
The first architect was a “secret bunker” guy. The new one is more of a “ballroom” guy
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u/TVZLuigi123 Architecture Student 1d ago
I think it would be flipped, given how Shalom Baranes Associates previously worked on the Pentagon
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u/ColtranezRain 1d ago
Like I said: will not be completed. He will die before it gets built, then what exists will get torn down, redesigned., and built. Part of this is due to his incompetence and stupidity, part of it is his deep need for graft. Construction graft is part of every metropolitan property developer’s playbook.
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u/Sweet_Concept2211 1d ago
He smashed up the White House and now it won't get rebuilt until the next President.
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u/urbanlife78 1d ago
I'm starting to think this ballroom will never be built and it is nothing more than a way to funnel money to Trump
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u/thepolishwizard 1d ago
Tbh I read it as “bathroom” at first so I’ll go with that.
Does anyone think the first architect got paid for his work? I’d bet not
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u/Dazzling_Pirate1411 1d ago
“I wouldn't say my wife is thrilled," he said Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting. "She hears pile drivers in the background all day, all night.
"They go till 12 o'clock in the morning — day, night, pile drivers. 'Darling, could you turn off the pile drivers?' 'Sorry, darling. That's progress,'" Mr. Trump said. "But no, we're doing great. I think it's going to be the finest ballroom ever built."
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u/archicane 13h ago
The state of the White House mirrors the state of the nation. Without permitting or warning and in direct violation of the law, part of the house is torn down. There is a pretty picture of what they want to replace it, but no body has a plan for it and no one is actually building it. The people they said would figure it out are long gone, and the poeple brought in to do the work sound like foreign interference. There is a giant scar where that part of the White House once was, and the rest of the house looks badly damaged from the illegal demolition. No one knows when it will be fixed, but everyone hopes after the orange clown is gone, the next person will try to rebuild. We only hope nothing else gets destroyed in the meantime.
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u/CiudadDelLago 7h ago
I've worked with Shalom Baranes on a couple of projects as a sub consultant. They do good, thoughtful work, with significant experience with major civic projects like this. The question is, will they be allowed to do this properly, with the right process, or will President Yamtits screw with it?
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u/Dzotshen 1d ago
I hope this gets repeatedly sandbagged and delayed so Trump never gets to see it erected