WASHINGTON ‒ The White House has hired a new lead architect for President Donald Trump's White House ballroom after he clashed with the project's original architect over the size of the massive addition.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle confirmed to USA TODAY that architect Shalom Baranes of Washington, DC has been hired as the new lead architect for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

The move comes after James McCrery II, the project's original lead architect, expressed concerns to Trump about the size of the project and the ballroom overshadowing the main White House building, according to a report from the Washington Post. McCrery will continue as a consultant.

"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," Ingle said.

A White House official told USA TODAY the move is "not a replacement" of architects "but rather a passing of the baton" as the project moves into a new phase.

Early site excavation and other construction work for ballroom is underway after the White House's East Wing was quickly demolished in October to make way for the addition. Trump wants the ballroom finished before the end of his term in January 2029.

Trump has said the ballroom ‒ which will have a capacity of 999 people ‒ is needed to hold large White House events that currently take place outdoors or in the much smaller East Room.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found 56% of Americans oppose the East Wing's demolition and ballroom project ‒ including 45% who said they "strongly oppose" it.

Trump has said he plans to use private donations to pay for the ballroom, which is projected to cost $300 million after it was initially ballparked at $200 million.

The White House demolished the East Wing even though design plans hadn't been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, the central planning agency of the federal government.

Will Scharf, the commission's chairman and White House staff secretary, said on Dec. 4 the White House intends to submit design plans to the panel later in December.

The White House's East Wing was not protected under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires reviews of projects that affect most historic buildings, but explicitly exempts the White House, Supreme Court building and U.S. Capitol.

The White House argued the National Capital Planning Commission ‒ the central planning agency of the federal government since 1952 ‒ does not have jurisdiction over the demolition of federal buildings, only the construction.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump taps new architect for White House ballroom amid clash over size

Reporting by Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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