WASHINGTON – October 27, 2025 – President Donald Trump’s plan to construct a new presidential ballroom is drawing comparisons to some of the most expensive government and cultural building projects ever undertaken, including the Federal Reserve’s ongoing $2.5 billion headquarters renovation.
At an estimated $300 million for roughly 90,000 square feet, the ballroom’s projected price tag works out to about $3,300 per square foot — a figure that would place it among the priciest buildings in U.S. history on a unit-cost basis. Only a few projects, such as the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York (about $5,000 per ft²) and the new Perelman Performing Arts Center nearby ($3,876 per ft²), exceed that threshold.
By contrast, the Federal Reserve’s Washington headquarters renovation — long criticized for ballooning costs — is expected to cost between $1,900 and $2,300 per square foot, according to White House and Federal Reserve estimates. The $2.5 billion effort involves overhauling the historic Marriner S. Eccles Building and its neighboring annex, including extensive security upgrades, asbestos removal, and structural reinforcement.
In general, construction costs per square foot range from $233 to $1,026 in cities such as Washington, D.C., according to Arrant Construction.
The ballroom would surpass the central bank’s modernization on a per-foot basis — placing it in the same cost league as elite cultural landmarks and complex civic structures.
Exact, publicly verified figures for construction cost per square foot are rarely disclosed, since government and private developers often report only total budgets or aggregate estimates. Major builds, such as Apple Park in Cupertino, the U.S. Embassy in London, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, also fall within the upper tier of global construction costs.
If completed at its current estimate, the ballroom would stand as one of the most expensive construction projects in modern U.S. history when measured by square-foot cost.
