Satellite images show the demolition of the East Wing of the White House
Satellite images show the demolition of the east wing of the White House as construction begins on a new ballroom.
I have many memories.
The east wing has housed the offices of the first lady and her staff since 1977. This space also served as the entrance for White House tours and special events.
The sudden and complete demolition of the east wing on October 20 to make way for a $300 million ballroom envisioned by President Donald Trump surprised many., It has raised concerns from critics, preservationists and several former residents.
Former first lady, secretary of state, and future presidential candidate Hillary Clinton responded on October 21, when images of the demolition site began circulating. She expressed outrage that outstanding national structures remained destroyed.
Clinton posted a photo of the demolished facade on X, pointing out: “This isn’t his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama also didn’t hold back about the demolition in a Nov. 6 interview with Vanity Fair, saying, “When we talk about the East Tower, it’s the center of construction.” “And denigrating it and destroying it and pretending it doesn’t matter is a reflection of how you think about that role.”
USA TODAY spoke to several people who worked in the East Building in various capacities across multiple administrations to share their memories of the now-vanished historic space and what it means to them.
The East Wing “smelled nice” and had a different energy.
Ashley Etienne, who served as a senior adviser in the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, said the East Wing had a “different energy” than the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office and presidential staff offices.
“The East Wing was a bright space. It smelled great and was warm,” Etienne said. “The West Wing is very intense. You know, the knife-outs, the sharp elbows.”
Her fondest memories include walking across the White House complex from her office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building through the West and East Wings to the Commerce Department child care center across the street to pick up her daughter.
“I remember working there late into the night and having to go through the East Wing to pick up my daughter and take her back to the White House,” she said.
For Etienne, the east wing represented the House of Peoples.
“That was the feel and atmosphere of the space,” she said. “Whenever I wanted to escape the madness of the West Wing, I always went to the East Wing.”
After bulldozers destroyed the entire East Building in October, President Trump told reporters on Oct. 22 that he consulted with architects and was told that “to do it properly,” the existing building would need to be demolished.
He also gave his thoughts on the east wing, saying, “It was never thought of as something big. It was a very small building.”
Etienne said she was “insulted” by the suggestion.
“That’s by design and I don’t think he appreciates it,” she said. “The White House is modest in design because it is the people’s home.”
History of various renovations
The White House has undergone many structural changes since it was built in 1792.
In 1805, President Thomas Jefferson added two colonnades, or covered walkways, extending east and west from the White House. According to the White House Historical Association, they were designed to “blend into the gentle slope on which the White House was built so that they would be hidden from view when standing in front of the White House.”
The eastern sidewalk, originally called East Terrace, fell into disrepair and was demolished by President Andrew Jackson in 1866, said Leslie B. Jones, former White House Historical Society director of historical resources and programming.
President Theodore Roosevelt began construction of the east and west wings in 1902. But it wasn’t until three-quarters of a century later, in 1977, that the first lady made the space her own. Rosalynn Carter established a new tradition with her office in the East Wing.
The wing was expanded during World War II, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt adding a second floor and underground bomb shelter in 1942.
“But it was created as a mirror image of The West Wing,” Jones said. “We could easily have added another story to the west wing, but we wanted to maintain the symmetry and balance of the design.”
The National Trust for Preservation expressed concern that the 90,000-square-foot new construction would “overwhelm the 55,000-square-foot White House itself.”
Trump, a second-generation real estate businessman, considers himself a “key designer” and has sought to bring his expertise to bear in the White House and beyond. He adorned the Oval Office with gold and added a “Presidential Walk of Fame” displaying portraits of himself and his predecessors along the South Colonnade. He paved the Rose Garden lawn and redecorated Lincoln’s bathroom with marble and gold accents.s.
birthday party and cat willow
Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s communications director, said she is sad that her former office no longer exists, but believes the original family was “given an opportunity” to leave their personal mark on the 18-acre property.
“All of our presidents and their families reside in the White House on a short-term basis,” LaRosa said. “But they all play a role in updating, modernizing, beautifying, and even adding to your home, just as so many people have done throughout history.”
LaRosa’s favorite spot in the East Wing was her desk in the office next to Jill Biden’s.
“We had large windows facing the south lawn and had great views of the Washington Monument, landscaping and Marine One coming and going,” he said.
He also enjoyed keeping tabs on the Biden family cat, Willow, who had free rein in a series of public offices.
“I would throw the cat’s ball down the long hallway upstairs, and the cat would chase it, jump on it, and sometimes bring it into its mouth like a dog fetching a Frisbee,” LaRosa said.
Among LaRosa’s cherished memories are the team party on the roof of the East Portico and the farewell party Biden threw for him in September 2022 at the Jacqueline Kennedy Gardens, just down the street from the Portico. The colonnade and its gardens now belong to the history of the White House.
Jill Biden’s office renovated
For Mark D. Sykes, a Los Angeles-based designer known for his “All-American” style, being invited to help the Bidens renovate and refresh the first lady’s office was a career highlight.
Sykes worked on the project for about a year and a half before completing the new decor with soft blue, ivory and cream accents in 2023. There was also a Kimball & Bean jardiniere box containing a topiary tree, a custom lamp by Christopher Spitzmiller, and artwork created by the Bidens’ grandchildren.
His best memory of the East Wing was the redesign’s “grand reveal” day, when White House staff, the White House Historical Society and several others gathered to witness it.
Biden brought fresh flowers from her home in Delaware, and with the help of the White House florist, she and her staff created small floral arrangements using freshly cut flowers.
“She came to an area we were new to with a basket of little bouquets of flowers. Literally the first thing she did was hand out the bouquets and thank everyone,” Sykes said.
A few minutes later, her husband came over to check out the new dig site.
Sykes says knowing that he was one of the last designers working in the East Wing makes the experience even more meaningful and moving.
An important place to do “good work”
Anita McBride, who served as first lady Laura Bush’s chief of staff, described the wing as “an important and purposeful place.”
“Obviously the people who worked there were sad to see it go down,” she says. “But the facts of the story that happened there and the history of the work remain the same.”
“We worked closely with each other. We worked on all kinds of projects, planned trips around the country, planned trips around the world, and have great memories of planning White House visits for heads of state,” she said. “A lot of good work happened in those offices.”
McBride said people who worked elsewhere in the White House “always envied those of us who worked in the East Wing, because it’s such a beautiful place to work in the White House.”
“I could see the White House through the door and I could see the gardens,” said McBride, now director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University. “You can see the portraits of former first ladies on the wall. It was special. It was beautiful.”
I saw an elderly black man walk by during the Obama era.
Disha Dyer said she was heartbroken by the loss of East Wing.
She served as the White House social secretary during the Obama administration, and her private office was said to be near Michelle Obama’s office.
“It’s not only devastating on a personal level, it’s devastating on a historical level,” she said. “It’s very sad to see a piece of history go by so easily. The way I see it, this is just a type of everything we’re living through right now.”
Her job as Social Secretary was to coordinate with the Presidential Residence Team, the White House, and the First Lady’s Office to ensure that White House-sponsored events ran smoothly. Everything was under her purview, including helping with meals in the kitchen, creating invitations with calligraphers, creating the flow of the event, coordinating with performers, directing, and lighting.
Her fondest memories are of children and elderly visitors coming to the White House and being able to see their faces and reactions.
“It’s mostly older black people coming through the doors of the White House, somehow knowing that there’s a black family there, and just feeling like they’ve never seen anything like that.”
Dyer’s favorite place in the East Wing was the Family Theater.
“A lot of movie screenings, events and conferences were held there,” she said. “Sometimes you could sit in the back and watch movies with the president and the first lady. So it was kind of fun.”
Melania Trump: “I loved my tiny little office”
While Melania Trump may have been resistant at first, the first lady quickly came up with the idea, the president said in a recent interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“She loved her tiny little office,” he says. “But you know what? She’s very smart. If you ask her now[about change]she’ll say, ‘That’s great.'”
Before demolition began, the first lady’s office was moved to the first floor of the White House, now occupied by the Vermeil Room, Library, and China Room. These rooms were previously included on White House tours, but are now closed to the public. Other offices in the East Wing, including the White House Calligraphy Office and the White House Military Office, were moved to the Eisenhower Building adjacent to the West Wing.
Historic records digitized thanks to Jackie Kennedy
After all, memories are not the only thing that remains in the East Wing. Thanks to one of our first ladies, we also have a digitized historical record.
The White House Historical Society was founded in 1961 by former First Lady Jackie Kennedy to document and share the history of the White House and preserve the furnishings, art, and decorations used by presidents, their families, and staff.
“We are supporting the preservation of the East Wing’s history through a comprehensive digital scanning project and photography to create a historical record,” the association said in an Oct. 22 letter following the announcement that demolition had begun to make way for the ballroom construction project.
“The east wing and gardens have been photographed in detail for the benefit of our country, and the historical artifacts of the east wing have been preserved and preserved,” the statement said.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal.
