New details of plans for the Kennedy Center and White House ballroom include columns carved in Italy, plaza named for Trump

Key Points:

• The Kennedy Center board, led by President Trump and composed mostly of his allies, voted to restore Trump's name on the building's facade and rename the site "President Donald J. Trump Plaza," with plans to implement changes no earlier than September 8.
• Legal filings reveal the removal of Trump's name from the Kennedy Center facade involved scaffolding and protective tarps due to water testing and potential marble damage, with concerns raised by Rep. Joyce Beatty's legal team about possible harm to the marble.
• The White House ballroom project, funded by private donors with $355 million raised of a $400 million goal, is 65% complete, involving a 250-person crew working nearly nonstop, with the structure rising up to 70 feet and a footprint of 50,000 square feet.
• Construction includes extensive use of concrete and steel, with 6.4 million pounds of rebar placed and 18,000 cubic yards of concrete poured, described as nuclear power plant-grade, and plans to complete the ballroom by November 2024 and the entire project by August 2028.
• The ballroom will feature high-security elements such as bomb shelters, medical facilities, drone-proof and blast-proof materials, and Corinthian columns carved from Indiana limestone, reflecting Trump's vision for a grand and fortified White House addition amid ongoing legal challenges.