President Donald Trump has ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a $250 million ballroom, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from historians, former staff, and preservationists.
The East Wing, which housed offices for the first lady, a theatre, and a visitors’ entrance for foreign dignitaries, is being razed to accommodate a new 90,000-square-foot event space capable of hosting nearly 1,000 guests. Renderings released by the White House show a design resembling the gilded ballroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to the administration, the expansion is intended to provide a permanent venue for official events, replacing the temporary tents previously used on the South Lawn. Trump has said the existing East Room, which seats about 200 people, is inadequate for major gatherings.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has urged the administration to halt demolition, warning that the project “will overwhelm the White House itself.” The executive residence currently measures about 55,000 square feet.
Presidential historian Jonathan Alter described the demolition as “a perfect symbol of the Trump administration,” while former White House official Elaine Kamarck called it “an abomination.”
Supporters have argued that previous presidents have made significant structural changes to the White House, including Theodore Roosevelt’s creation of the West Wing and Franklin Roosevelt’s addition of the East Wing. Anita McBride, former chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, said a ballroom “is something whose time had come,” though she acknowledged that images of the destruction were “difficult” for many former staff to see.
The project’s timeline and completion date have not yet been announced.
