Erica Siaulnski, Staff Writer
The East Wing of the White House has historically served as an office for the First Lady and her staff. It also acted as a Public Entrance to the White House tourists. The East Wing has been demolished and plans to replace it with a $300 million ballroom have been set in place.
The East Wing of the White House was built in 1902, under Theodore Roosevelt, with a small entrance for visitors and a coat room for guests. In 1942, during the second world war, an extension and second story was added to the East Wing, as well as an underground bunker which was used by Bill Clinton on 9/11, and President Donald Trump on January 6th 2020 during the riots that took place at the Capitol Building.
Historically, First Ladies have utilized the East Wing. This tradition began with Eleanor Roosevelt, who often held meetings and events in the East Wing. She welcomed organizations such as the Girl Scouts and the Women’s Trade Union. It was under Jimmy Carter’s presidency that his wife, Rosalynn Carter, officially turned the East Wing into an Office of the First Lady.
Since then, First Ladies have used the office as a place for their campaigns. Laura Bush’s literacy campaigns and Michelle Obama’s “Lets Move” campaign were both spoken about and worked on in the East Wing.
In 2010, Donald Trump phoned a top political advisor of then President Barack Obama and suggested that they build a big ballroom somewhere on the White House grounds. The idea was politely declined but foreshadowed what plans Donald Trump might have for the future.
In July 2025, the White House announced its plan to build a $250 million ballroom that would be funded by private donors and donations and confirmed that nothing would be torn down. But on October 22nd, the White House announced that this would cost closer to $300 million, and the East Wing of the White House had been demolished to make room for this ballroom. This construction began without any signoff from the National Capital Planning Committee which serves as the executive branch agency that has jurisdiction over major changes to government buildings in the area and construction done to buildings.
The destruction disappointed many historians and preservationists. The more than 80 year old building has been used and connected to every first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. A poll conducted by YouGov found that 53% of Americans opposed the destruction of the East Wing, while only 23% supported it.
The current First Lady, Melania Trump, has not yet released a statement about the destruction of what would be the traditional office of the First Lady. Some find this disagreeable, and believe that she should.
The ballroom is planned to be 90,000 square feet and will be able to accommodate 999 guests. The ballroom is set to be finished in an ambitious timeline, by January of 2029, before the end of Trump’s second term.
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