CUA Professor James McCrery Replaced as Head Architect in White House Ballroom Renovations

Image courtesy of NBC

By Kyrien Keeton

Catholic University professor and accomplished architect James McCrery will no longer design the new White House ballroom, following disagreements over the project’s shifting project requirements.

Alongside his work as an associate professor for graduate students at the Catholic University of America, McCrery runs a boutique architecture firm in Washington D.C, known for designing Catholic churches. Originally hired to expand the existing ballroom from a seating capacity of 200 people to fit 650 people, the project quickly inflated to an ambitious plan to house over 1000 people. The ballroom, built in 1902 and modified again in 1942 to include a second story, was demolished in October. 

One White House article explains the reason behind the extreme renovations, writing, “the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.” The project was initiated by President Trump in July 2025, citing “his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future Administrations and the American people,” as the catalyst to this ambitious project.

Though it is unclear whether McCrery stepped down from the task voluntarily, the Guardian reported that he and Trump parted on good terms, and the separation was likely due to McCrery’s small firm lacking staff for such a large project. 

The replacement architect, Shalom Baranes, runs a successful architecture firm with landmarks all across D.C. Shalom Baranes Associates’s website boasts a history of designs totaling “over 8 billion dollars and 50 million square feet.” The architectural aesthetics between the two designers differs immensely; McCrery’s comforting, conservative Catholic designs clash with Baranes’s towering modern structures. Despite the artistic differences, McCrery will remain a consultant on the project. 

How much the designs will change with a new architect remains to be seen. Washington Post reporter Jonathan Edwards explained in an interview to NPR that, even though McCrery produced a rendered image of the prospective ballroom, the blueprints have not yet been confirmed, and are still subject to change. He goes on to explain an issue McCrery had with the enlarged ballroom design, stating, “It does violate a general rule that any sort of addition or annex should be subordinate to the main building both in terms of size but also height, and also detail. So you don’t want an addition that is more ornate than the main building itself.” With the White House mansion covering 55,000 square feet, and the proposed ballroom spanning over 90,000 square feet, the to-be ballroom would trump the main mansion.

The shifting plans may have led McCrery to step away from a project that grew past what he originally anticipated he would represent. Despite McCrery’s alleged complaints, the White House has faith in Baranes’s abilities. One White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, said, “Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project.”