Madison — The East Wing of the White House is being destroyed in its entirety, and the demolition process has already begun. This large area of the White House is being destroyed due to plans that President Trump has to build a large ballroom.
The project, originally projected to cost around $200 million, now is being estimated as closer to $300 million. The president has said that the cost of the ballroom will be funded by himself and ‘private donors.’
The East Wing originally served as offices for the first lady and her staff. Historically, renovations on the East Wing include the demolition of the East Terrace, which was demolished in 1866, and later was rebuilt during Theodore Roosevelt’s White House renovations in 1902. The East Wing had an expansion in 1942, the expansion included additional structure for more working space, as well as a new underground bunker.
The addition of the ballroom and the demolition of the East Wing in its entirety has caused outrage in some, and a variety of different reactions overall. Some have questioned if the president is even within his legal limit to completely revamp an entire section of one of the most important political buildings in the country.
Referring to the ballroom, President Trump has claimed that, “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump has also said that, “certain areas [of the East Wing] are being left.” Mr. Trump has also shared his personal view on the East Wing saying that, “It was a very small building.”
The East Wing of the White House has already been completely deconstructed, and construction on the ballroom has a target completion date of around January of 2029.