https://x.com/samstein/status/2038245959209996420

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/29/upshot/white-house-ballroom.html

Inside the East Wing, the ballroom itself is far larger than industry standards suggest is necessary for 1,000 guests (by that standard, it might fit 1,500 people). Mr. Baranes said the extra space was needed to accommodate TV cameras, journalists, security and ceremonial processions. But one result is that events with fewer than 1,000 people could feel empty.

The commercial kitchen and first lady’s office suite on the lower level are likewise supersized. And on the second-floor colonnade connecting the ballroom to the executive residence, a blank wall of faux windows will face the north (the direction from which most tourists get a glimpse of the White House). Behind them is a row of bathroom stalls.

Many criticisms of the building, Mr. Scharf said, fail to acknowledge that the White House has continually evolved since its beginning. “As our country’s developed, so too has the White House complex,” he said, adding that he would vote on the project this week after having read every one of the letters the commission received. “I see the ballroom project as a natural extension of that history.”