By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — The nation’s top historic preservation group is suing the Trump administration to block construction of President Donald Trump’s plans for a massive new White House ballroom until review boards weigh in on the project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered non-profit tasked with preserving historic buildings, said it was bringing the suit because its previous letter urging a pause on the project had gone unheeded.

The group, which alleges the construction project is “unlawful,” is asking the US District Court for the District of Columbia to halt further activity until the administration complies with review processes, including a public comment period.

“The White House is arguably the most evocative building in our country and a globally recognized symbol of our powerful American ideals. As the organization charged with protecting places where our history happened, the National Trust was compelled to file this case,” said Carol Quillen, the group’s president and CEO.

The suit names Trump as a defendant, along with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the General Services Administration, along with officials who work in those agencies. The case is assigned to District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee.

“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement to CNN.

While Trump announced months ago his plans to replace the East Wing with the new ballroom — a necessary addition, he says, to accommodate large events — the demolition proceeded without an extensive public review process.

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Joe Biden, and not anyone else,” the complaint from the trust says.

In October, the group addressed a letter to the administration “respectfully” urging it to “pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and to invite comment from the public.”

The two commissions the letter was addressed to — the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts — have in the past reviewed proposed additions to the White House. That includes changes to the perimeter fence and the construction of a new tennis pavilion within the past decade.

The current chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, Will Scharf, who also serves as Trump’s staff secretary, said during a meeting of the commission last month that its jurisdiction covers construction, but not demolition — suggesting the body would eventually be involved in the project, but not until after the East Wing was demolished.

At an early December NCPC meeting, Scharf said he has been told by colleagues at the White House that the ballroom plans will be submitted to the agency this month.

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.

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