Most architecture firms build a public profile through glossy renderings and heavy press coverage. McCrery Architects did the opposite for over two decades, quietly designing Catholic cathedrals, university chapels. And a Supreme Court gift shop, before a single 2025 commission made it one of the most talked-about firms in the country.
This piece covers what McCrery Architects actually does. The ecclesiastical and civic work that built the firm’s reputation long before its highest-profile project. And where that project the White House State Ballroom actually stands today. Since the firm’s role there has changed since it was first announced. If you searched this name because of a recent headline. You’ll get real context here, not just the news cycle version.
Who Is McCrery Architects, and What Do They Actually Design?
McCrery Architects is an architectural firm that operates in Washington, D.C., headed by James C. McCrery II, who is professionally referred to as Jim McCrery. It is a firm that was created on the basis of traditional and classical architecture instead of contemporary and minimalist architecture. Which form the bulk of the architecture discourse in the modern era. Most of the projects of McCrery Architects deal with churches, chapels, cathedrals, and seminaries.
McCrery himself has an academic background alongside his practice, having taught architecture and written on classical design theory. That combination practicing architect and classical-design educator shows up clearly in the firm’s portfolio. Which leans on historically grounded proportion and detailing rather than experimental form. Before the firm’s highest-profile commission made headlines in 2025. Most of its recognition came from within architecture and design circles specifically focused on traditional and classical work. Including coverage in Traditional Building and Period Homes and a Palladio Award. One of the field’s most respected honors for classical and traditional design specifically.
What Style of Architecture Is McCrery Architects Known For?
Classical and traditional architecture, with a particular specialization in ecclesiastical and Catholic institutional design. The firm’s work draws on historical proportion systems and detailing associated with classical architecture. Rather than contemporary or minimalist design approaches. Which is precisely why it was selected for a project explicitly intended to match an existing neoclassical building’s character.
The Firm’s Ecclesiastical and Civic Portfolio
Long before its most famous commission. McCrery Architects built its actual reputation on churches, cathedrals, and Catholic institutional buildings across multiple states. This body of work is where the firm’s classical design philosophy shows up most consistently and in the greatest volume.
The portfolio includes cathedral and church projects. Such as the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Cathedral of the Holy Name of Jesus. Along with parish churches and chapels across states including Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. University and seminary work features prominently too, including chapel and Newman Center projects connected to institutions like the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. Beyond religious architecture, the firm has also handled smaller civic commissions in Washington, D.C. Including the Supreme Court’s bookstore and gift shop and the base for a Ronald Reagan statue. Plus a master planning role connected to North Carolina’s historic State Capitol grounds.
Does McCrery Architects Only Design Churches?
No while ecclesiastical and Catholic institutional architecture makes up the bulk of the firm’s portfolio by volume. McCrery Architects has also handled civic commissions, master planning projects, and private residential work. The firm’s classical design approach carries across these different project types. Even though churches and religious institutions represent its most consistent body of work.
The White House State Ballroom Project
In July 2025, the Trump administration announced McCrery Architects as lead architect for a new White House State Ballroom. Planned for roughly 90,000 square feet with a seated capacity of 650 guests, replacing the existing East Wing entirely. The administration described the design as intended to closely match the architectural character of the main White House building. And firm principal Jim McCrery said at the announcement that he was honored to help bring what he called a necessary renovation to what he referred to as “the People’s House.”
The project was surrounded by controversy since it started the demolition of the entire East Wing on October 20, 2025. Without prior notice to the public. Many people, especially those who are concerned about historical monuments and buildings. Including former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. Were alarmed at the destruction of an important monument and the size of the new project in relation to the old White House building. The National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed their worry about the size of the project as it might upset the classical proportions of the White House building. Cost estimates of the project vary from $200 million to $300 million.
Is McCrery Architects Still Designing the White House Ballroom?
No, not as lead architect in December 2025, the Trump administration replaced McCrery Architects with Shalom Baranes Associates as lead designer on the project, following reported disagreements between Jim McCrery and President Trump over the ballroom’s scale. McCrery has remained connected to the project in a consulting capacity rather than as lead architect, according to statements from White House officials at the time of the change.
Why the Firm Was Chosen for a Project of This Scale
An explanation of why a fairly obscure company got to design the most important project for any White House architect in decades starts with an analysis of why McCrery Architects were considered experts. The skills that the firm was known for in the world of architecture were directly applicable to the project, since they were skilled in classical proportions and details.
According to White House officials, President Trump selected the firm for precisely that reason: they were “well-known for their classical architectural design,” and the description is accurate for the work done by the firm, even if the low profile of the company meant that the firm was not widely known in other circles outside of classical design, since the design journalists who covered the announcement did not recognize the name. It is a common problem for a niche design firm, especially one that specializes in classical design.
Why Did the White House Choose a Relatively Unknown Firm for the Ballroom?
The Trump administration specifically cited McCrery Architects’ expertise in classical architectural design as the reason for the selection, given the project’s stated goal of closely matching the existing White House’s neoclassical style. The firm’s relatively low public profile outside specialized classical-architecture circles reflects how that niche of the profession typically receives less mainstream design-press coverage, not a lack of genuine expertise or a thin portfolio.
Conclusion
McCrery Architects built a career over two decades on classical and ecclesiastical design cathedrals, university chapels, and civic commissions like the Supreme Court’s gift shop long before a single 2025 commission briefly made it one of the most-discussed architecture firms in the country. That project, the White House State Ballroom, has since moved past McCrery as lead architect, with the firm now in a consulting role under new lead firm Shalom Baranes Associates. Understanding the firm’s actual body of work, rather than just its most recent headline, gives a clearer picture of what genuinely defines its 20-plus years of classical design practice.
FAQs
James C. McCrery II, known professionally as Jim McCrery, founded the Washington, D.C.-based firm and has built his career around classical and traditional architectural design, particularly ecclesiastical and Catholic institutional work. He also has an academic background in architecture education alongside his practice.
McCrery Architects was originally announced as lead architect for the White House State Ballroom project in July 2025, but the Trump administration replaced the firm with Shalom Baranes Associates as lead designer in December 2025. McCrery has remained connected to the project in a consulting capacity since that change.
The firm’s portfolio is heavily weighted toward Catholic churches, cathedrals, and university chapels across multiple states, alongside smaller civic commissions in Washington, D.C., including the Supreme Court’s bookstore and gift shop and a Ronald Reagan statue pedestal. The firm has also contributed to master planning work connected to North Carolina’s historic State Capitol grounds.
Yes the firm has received a Palladio Award, one of the most respected honors specifically recognizing classical and traditional architectural design. The firm’s work has also received coverage in publications focused on traditional architecture, including Traditional Building and Period Homes.
