The East Wing of the White House in the US will be torn down by this weekend to make space for US President Donald Trump’s new ballroom, a decision that has sparked outrage among historians and architects. Since Eleanor Roosevelt’s era, the two-story wing has served as a formal entry for social functions and a working base for the first lady. It was first built in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt and rebuilt during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency to conceal a new emergency bunker, the New York Times reported.
What stays and what’s uncertain
Still standing are the president’s theatre, the East Colonnade that links to the main residence, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden just south of the colonnade. Directly beneath the East Wing is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a bombproof bunker created in World War II. It’s unclear whether the ballroom construction will affect the bunker.
The bunker and moments of crisis
The hidden facility has figured into modern emergencies. Vice President Dick Cheney was rushed there after the Sept. 11 attacks, and Trump was taken there during protests in 2020. The wing and bunker were designed and overseen in the 1930s by White House architect Lorenzo Winslow, who also contributed to major mid-century renovations, including during Harry Truman’s presidency.
The East Wing’s evolution as the first lady’s base
As the public role of the first lady grew, so did East Wing operations. Eleanor Roosevelt expanded staff and held official functions and news conferences there. During the Kennedy years, Jacqueline Kennedy added a press secretary and more aides. An office formally dedicated to the first lady was planned under Betty Ford and opened under Rosalynn Carter in 1977. Earlier fights over money and purpose
The wartime reconstruction of the East Wing drew fierce criticism at the time—Republicans called it wasteful, according to the White House Historical Association. Its utility, however, quickly quieted the backlash as the space proved essential for staffing and events.
A much older eastern side
The site’s roots stretch back to the early 1800s, when Thomas Jefferson added the East Colonnade and matching terraces to connect the residence to service buildings. The original East Terrace was removed in 1866, rebuilt in 1902, and used as the main entrance for social events, complete with a coat room, gallery, and circular driveway for arriving guests.
Why the East Wing matters
Supporters see the East Wing as the operational and ceremonial counterpart to the West Wing. As Anita McBride, former chief of staff to Laura Bush, put it: “If the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart.” Even if its walls come down, she argues, its stories should be preserved for future generations.
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