The White House said the lead architect hired by President Donald Trump to design the 90,000-square-foot ballroom will continue in his job after a report said the two men had been arguing about the “size of the project.”

Architect James McCrery II, who was brought on board by Trump to serve as the lead architect with a splashy announcement and renderings of the gilded and cavernous ballroom in July “counseled restraint over concerns” that it could "dwarf" the 55,000-square-foot executive mansion, The Washington Post reported.

The project came under tremendous criticism, including from former first ladies Hillary Clinton and from Michelle Obama and preservationists when − without any prior notice − the entire East Wing was demolished on Oct. 20 to make way for the ballroom. Apart from the loss of history, preservationists cautioned that the size and scope of the project will overwhelm the White House itself.

“(The addition) may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings,” wrote Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Preservation, in a letter to the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service and the Commission of Fine Arts on Oct. 23.

Despite the differences in opinion, McCrery will continue to be a consultant on the ballroom project, a White House official told USA TODAY on condition of anonymity on Nov. 26.

“As with any building, there is a conversation between the principal and the architect. All parties are excited to execute on the President’s vision on what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office,” the official said.

For months Trump had been teasing ideas for a “new, big, beautiful” ballroom, like the one in Mar-a-Lago, his oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

In its July announcement, the White House said the president chose McCrery Architects as lead architect because it is “well-known for their classical architectural design and based in the nation’s capital.”

McCrery was quoted in the announcement saying that presidents in the modern era have faced challenges hosting major events at the White House “because it has been untouched since President Harry Truman.”

“I am honored that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People’s House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance,” he said.At the time of the July announcement, the White House said the size of the ballroom would be 90,000 square feet. That has not changed over the months. However, the scope of the construction went through major changes. For one, the cost ballooned from $200 million in July to $300 in October. The seating capacity grew from 650 people to 1,000.

The question of who was paying for the ballroom also evolved.

On June 6, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had “inspected the site of the new Ballroom that will be built, compliments of a man known as Donald J. Trump, at the White House.”

But in July, the White House announcement noted that a few others had joined the cause.

“President Trump, and other patriot donors, have generously committed to donating the funds necessary” for the new addition, it said.

The donors included American corporations with business before the U.S. government including software company Palantir, defense contractor Lockheed Martin and social media giant Meta.

Before the demolition of the East Wing, no permits were sought by the White House, another sour point for the critics.

The White House official told USA TODAY that the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees construction of federal buildings in Washington DC, does not have jurisdiction over demolition and that plans for the construction would be submitted to the oversight body “soon.”

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House ballroom architect to stay despite argument with Trump

Reporting by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect