I signed on to the following letter from members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Historic Resources Committee
December 8, 2025
Mr. Shalom Baranes, FAIA
Shalom Baranes Associates Architects
1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20007
Reference: Destruction of the East Wing of the White House and the Impending Design of the Proposed New Ballroom to Replace the East Wing
Dear Mr. Baranes,
We, the undersigned, as we are sure you are aware, are a group of architects who questioned the initial ballroom architect’s compliance with the AIA Code of Ethics & Professional
Conduct. This concern has been reported nationally initially in The Architect’s Newspaper and then the
Daily Beast, The Washington Post, The New York Times, as well as other media. It was announced that your firm now has been hired to work on the White House ballroom project that replaces our historic East Wing of the People’s House—the White
House. We are writing to urge you to decline this sole source commission. We do so for the following reasons:
- The Trump administration has destroyed a significant portion of our country’s most significant treasure by demolishing the historic East Wing of the White
House. This was done with no public review and no consultation with bodies entrusted with the conservation and preservation of the District’s historic assets, namely the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the US Commission of Fine Arts (CFA).
Please note language of the legislation which created the NCPC:
"SEC. 2, (a) The National Capital Planning Commission, herein- after called the ‘Commission’, is hereby created and designated as the central
planning agency for the Federal and District Governments to plan the appropriate and orderly development and redevelopment of the National Capital and the conservation of the important natural and historical features thereof. “
The NCPC was silent on the demolition of the historic “People’s House. This was a dereliction of the duties entrusted to that body by the American
public. It did so because the majority of the members of the Commission were replaced by President Trump with his own loyalists and three of his existing White House staff. Ex-officio members include Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, and Doug Burgum, Secretary
of the Interior, both Cabinet loyalists. Note that the NCPC hasn’t met since July and there is no planned meeting until January 8, 2026. The CFA members have all been fired by the president though there is apparently a meeting scheduled for January 15, 2026.
(https://www.cfa.gov/)
Unless a condition of your commission to work on this project is the reconstruction of the East Wing in its original form along with the inclusion of any salvaged historical items from the demolition, you are complicit in the approval of its demolition.
- The plan to build a structure that is twice the size of the White House Central Mansion and immediately adjacent to it will forever diminish its significance
as one of the many important axial focal points in Oliphant’s plan for the District. Symmetry drives the effectiveness of the District’s Plan. The White House itself respected and emphasized this symmetry with its own design. The size and scale of the West
and (and now demolished) East Wings respected the Central Mansion and did not disrupt its significance as the focal point in the north/south axis from the Washington Monument.
The scale and location of the proposed ballroom creates an extreme imbalance of the White House. It would reduce the Mansion to the “tail wagging
the dog”. This is untenable and should be stopped.
The argument that there is a “need” for an enormous national ballroom, if it must be so, can be met elsewhere just as other public needs over
recent decades have been fulfilled with museums and monuments that do not disrupt the District’s magnificent plan but enhance and strengthen it.
- We believe that no architect, whether they be Assoc. AIA, AIA, FAIA, RA or any architect
worldwide should engage in this illegal sole source commission. It is improper and
illegal to have the president award the most visible public building in the United States—the White House through a sole source contract. The
questionable action of soliciting donations from wealthy corporations and individuals to finance this out of scale, inappropriate ballroom is quid pro quo for those who donate. And, as a fellow architect to engage in a commission with the Trump administration
which has demoted our profession to a non-profession, we request that you and any other architect refuse this commission. Let the hole that remains of what was once the historic East Wing of the “People’s House” remain throughout the next 3 years of this
current administration.
We believe that in accepting this commission, you may be in violation the following Rules in the AIA’s Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct. We look forward to your explanation
as to why you feel that you will not violate the following Rules.:
RULE 1.101: In practicing architecture, Members shall demonstrate a consistent pattern of reasonable care and competence and shall apply the technical knowledge and skill
which is ordinarily applied by architects of good standing practicing in the same locality.
E.S. 1.3: Natural and Cultural Heritage: Members should respect and help conserve their natural and cultural heritage while striving to improve the environment and the
quality of life within it.
RULE 1.402: Members shall not engage in conduct involving wanton disregard of the rights of others.
RULE 2.101: Members shall not, in the conduct of their professional practice, knowingly violate the law.
E.S. 2.1: Conduct: Members should uphold the law in the conduct of their professional activities.
RULE 2.105: If, in the course of their work on a project, the Members become aware of a decision taken by their employer or client which violates any law or regulation
and which will, in the Members’ judgment, materially affect adversely the safety to the public of the finished project, the Members shall:
(a) advise their employer or client against the decision,
(b) refuse to consent to the decision, and
(c) report the decision to the local building inspector or other public official charged
with the enforcement of the applicable laws and regulations, unless the Members are able to
cause the matter to be satisfactorily resolved by other means.
RULE 2.106: Members shall not counsel or assist a client in conduct that the architect knows, or reasonably should know, is fraudulent or illegal.
RULE 2.401: When performing professional services, Members shall make reasonable efforts to inform their clients of the potential environmental impacts or consequences
the Members reasonably believes may occur as a result of work performed on behalf of the clients.
RULE 3.101: In performing professional services, Members shall take into account applicable laws and regulations. Members may rely on the advice of other qualified persons
as to the intent and meaning of such regulations.
RULE 3.102: Members shall undertake to perform professional services only when they, together with those whom they may engage as consultants, are qualified by education,
training, or experience in the specific technical areas involved.
RULE 3.201: Members shall not render professional services if the Member’s professional judgment could be affected by responsibilities to another project or person, or
by the Member’s own interests, unless all those who rely on the Member’s judgment consent after full disclosure.
We have provided the link to the AIA’s Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct here:
https://www.aia.org/code-ethics-professional-conduct
We also believe that the destruction of the East Wing has not adhered to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation:
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/taxincentives/secretarys-standards-rehabilitation.htm
As fellow architects, we cannot imagine any colleague who would support what has already been an extremely destructive and disrespectful act not only to the White House
but to the citizens of our country who’ve placed trust in our profession to protect our historic assets and design environments that continue to accrue benefit to all. We architects need the courage to protect our historic built environment.
We have noted that your firm has an impressive portfolio of completed projects, many in the District. They show not only an admirable approach to architecture but a consistent
respect for the environment in which they have been built. We want to make it perfectly clear that we harbor no ill will towards you personally. Your rejection of this commission would protect your professional reputation, uphold the integrity of the American
Institute of Architects (the majority of signatories on this letter are members of the AIA but don’t speak for the AIA), and prevent further harm to the nation’s most symbolic residence.
We respectfully request that you to do what you know is right and decline this commission. We wanted to give you the chance to explain your actions and/or inactions relating
to this matter before pursuing any formal Ethical Complaints. Your immediate attention to this matter is hereby requested and appreciated.
Very Sincerely the Undersigned Members of the American Architectural Historic Preservation Community,
Edward R. Acker, AIA Em.
Nanon Anderson, FAIA
Mark I. Baum, AIA
Brian Broadus, AIA
Terry H. Brooks, AIA
George B. Bryant, Arch. (ret)
Jeffrey Bumb AIA
Thomas Butt, FAIA
Joseph Catalano, AIA
Samuel Duff Combs, AIA
D. Scott Cunningham, AIA E
Frank DiMella, AIA Emerit.
Jim Garrison, RA
Robert Graham, AIA
Thomas Gray, AIA
Gene L. Greene, AIA
Deborah Kander, RA
James Malanaphy, AIA
P. David Marshall, AIA
Mark Nardini, AIA
Nelson Breech Nave, AIA
John Prokop, Assoc. AIA
Emily Reynolds Assoc. AIA
Annie Sauser, Assoc. AIA
Lee Schwerin, AIA Emeritus
Paul Scoville, AIA Emeritus
Inda Sechzer, Assoc. AIA
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