A farewell to the East Wing

The Washington Post editorial oozed skepticism. “The attempt to ‘modernize’ [the White House],” it read, “has destroyed its historic value and does not seem to have made it much more desirable as a residence.” The New York Times lamented “a sacrifice of history for ­convenience.” Another newspaper wondered if White House renovations were really necessary at a time when Americans suffered under a poor economy.

The latter paper, the United States’ Telegraph, was responding to President Andrew Jackson’s completion of the North Portico of the White House in 1830. The Times ran its complaint in 1970, when President Richard Nixon covered over a swimming pool to convert it into a press briefing room. And the Post lodged its opposition in 1902, when President Theodore Roosevelt ripped out greenhouses to build the West Wing. At the time, newspapers and citizens across the country wondered if the building really needed the extra office space.

In 2025, newspapers and the public are again unhappy at the sight of excavators and bulldozers removing the East Wing for a planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom. President Donald Trump originally said the privately funded project would cost $200 million and that the ballroom would sit next to, but not touch, the East Wing.

A few weeks later, the entire wing was gone. New estimated cost: $300 million.

While Trump continues to adapt and expand his ballroom plans, his actions have run afoul of public sentiment and Washington historians. But the project is not illegal.

During a dinner for private donors in October, Trump claimed he had the authority to start his projects simply by virtue of his office.

“They said, ‘Sir, you can start tonight,’” he said. “‘You have zero zoning conditions. You’re the president.’”

He’s technically correct. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 created what is called the Section 106 review process. It involves input from stakeholders, agencies, and architectural historians. The process includes guidelines for how to identify historic properties and minimize adverse effects that could “diminish the integrity of the property.” An adverse effect could include physical destruction of the property or changing its historical look.

But Section 107 exempts three buildings: the Supreme Court, the Capitol, and the White House.

For construction of the new wing and ballroom, the White House says it will submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission. In 1952, the National Capital Planning Act granted the group jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings and parks in the region. Among its responsibilities, it enforces a height restriction on buildings in Washington, which does not have typical city skyscrapers. The board consists of 12 members, including at least three presidential appointees. Earlier this year, Trump appointed Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, as chair of the board.

The Commission of Fine Arts, a six-member board that oversees Washington architecture, was also expecting a call. But on Oct. 28, Trump fired the entire board.

The laborious review process for D.C. construction projects can take years, so it makes sense that the president wanted to avoid it. He has long complained about brutalist architecture that characterizes some Washington buildings—notably, the soon-to-be-­former FBI headquarters. He also wants to finish the ballroom by the end of his term. While most presidents have voluntarily abided by Section 106, Trump is correct that he’s not required to.

The East Wing was first added to the White House complex in 1902 as a carriage entrance during the Theodore Roosevelt administration. In 1942, his fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded it further and added a secure bunker underground due to war concerns. It also held a private movie theater for the first family. The president and first lady typically hosted Christmas parties and tours from the East Wing.

In a building where power is determined by proximity to the Oval Office, the East Wing was a remote outpost. It was a mishmash of offices and public touring space until first lady Rosalynn Carter created a formal Office of the First Lady there in 1977. Previously, first ladies worked from a sitting room in the main residence. After Carter’s office expansion, the role of the first lady grew, with first ladies launching education and social initiatives from that wing.

First lady Melania Trump has now moved operations into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The White House said it removed historical artifacts and artwork prior to the excavator’s arrival in October.

The press has been thankful for at least one White House project before—the 1970 addition of the James S. Brady Briefing Room, a media gathering place that now sits above the former swimming pool. Still, it’s cramped, and the cubicles in the basement grow mold on occasion. It has shockingly poor air conditioning during the summer. Reporters also face the periodical threat of having the floor opened up beneath them (apparently still possible) if the press corps grows too rowdy.

From that briefing room, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has defended the ballroom construction. In October, she displayed photographs of past historical projects—most notably, the gutting of the White House interior during the Truman administration. The final straw for President Harry Truman was when a grand piano leg fell through the floor of his daughter’s sitting room. From 1948 to 1952, he oversaw an overhaul of the interior that ripped out and replaced wooden beams, plumbing, and electrical systems. Only the walls remained.

The ballroom might not be the only project on the president’s horizon. Trump displayed blueprints and 3D models of a grand archway á la Arc de Triomphe. The renderings put the arch on the other side of the Potomac River on the Memorial Bridge into Washington. He said the monument could be “small, medium, or large.”

It’s unclear whether that project could clear the National Capital Planning Commission’s 24-step process for new monuments in time for the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations next year.