The White House has confirmed that the East Wing, a section of the presidential complex dating back to the Franklin D. Roosevelt era, is being demolished to make way for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The project marks one of the most significant structural changes to the White House in decades.
As the over-budget project moved into its first phase, reporters near the Treasury Department on Monday could see sections of the building’s front stripped away, with piles of debris, including window panes, building blocks, and wires gathered.
Highlights
- The White House confirms the East Wing, built in 1942, is being fully demolished for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
- President Trump said demolition was necessary for safety and cost, raising the ballroom cost estimate to $300 million.
- The new grand ballroom will seat up to 999 guests, over three times the capacity of the current East Room.
The White House confirmed the East Wing is being demolished
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously promised that construction wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”
“In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump told reporters. He also said that “certain areas are being left.”
But according to two anonymous senior administration officials who spoke to The New York Times, the entire East Wing was being demolished.
Image credits: Salwan Georges/Getty Images
Trump also said the ballroom would cost $300 million, $50 million more than his initial estimation.
The demolition is expected to be completed by the end of this weekend, according to senior administration officials who spoke to the NYT.
One official told the outlet that the White House reconsidered the costs and found it to be cheaper and more structurally sound to demolish the East Wing than to build an addition.
The East Wing, completed in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, houses offices for the first lady and her staff and serves as the public entrance for guests.
Former First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosalynn Carter both used offices there.
Trump had previously said the construction wouldn't interfere with the White House building
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
The space also includes access to the underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a secure bunker added during World War II.
Sources told CBS News that the bunker would be upgraded during renovations, with enhanced security features added.
The new ballroom will reportedly be financed through private donations. Trump has said he will contribute his own funds along with money from wealthy supporters. “It’s being paid for 100 percent by me and some friends of mine,” he said.
Last week, Trump hosted a donation dinner with his deep-pocketed friends from the tech, finance, and defense industries. “A couple of you sitting here [were] saying, ‘Uh, sir, would $25 million be appropriate?’” Trump said at the dinner. “I said, ‘I’ll take it.’ You know, it doesn’t take too many 25[million]s to get it done.”
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Renderings released by the White House depict an ornate interior inspired by Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, which is modeled after the Palace of Versailles.
It will seat up to 999 guests, more than triple the capacity of the existing East Room.
White House officials say the project will allow for state dinners and large events to be held indoors rather than in temporary outdoor tents.
The ballroom is inspired by Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort
Image credits: The White House
The White House defended its decision amid the backlash by publishing an official statement showing photos of past renovations and construction projects undertaken by former presidents.
Sara C. Bronin, a law professor at George Washington University and former chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, said the work could violate federal preservation laws.
“The Trump administration’s shortsighted decision to start demolishing parts of the White House is exactly the kind of action the N.H.P.A. was passed to circumvent,” she told the NYT.
The National Historic Preservation Act requires agencies to account for the effects of their actions on historic places.
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also condemned the move, writing on X, “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the project on X, saying, “Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House.
“Losers who are quick to criticize need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernized. Otherwise you’re just living in the past.”
As the first phase of the ballroom took shape, the U.S. government entered its 22nd day of shutdown, halting several federal services and delaying pay for thousands of workers.