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The White House's East Wing is being demolished to make way for Donald Trump's new ballroom.The first iteration of the East Wing was built in 1902 and expanded by FDR in 1942.Photos taken this week show demolition work at the White House.
President Donald Trump had already made extensive changes to the White House before the bulldozers arrived.
In addition to adding gilded gold furnishings to the Oval Office and paving over the Rose Garden, Trump plans to replace the East Wing with a 90,000-square-foot, $300 million ballroom capable of seating 650 people.
Demolition of the historic section of the White House began on Monday.
In a statement released Tuesday, the White House called the renovation "a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence."
While other presidents and their families have made changes to the White House, these are the most extensive in decades.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Before-and-after photos show how construction work on the ballroom is already reshaping the White House.
The White House previously consisted of three main sections: the Executive Residence in the center, with the West Wing and the East Wing on either side.
An aerial view of the White House.
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The Executive Residence was built between 1792 and 1800, and President Theodore Roosevelt added the West Wing in 1902.
Hallways known as the West Colonnade and East Colonnade connect the three structures.
President Donald Trump's plan to replace the East Wing with a new ballroom will change the shape of the White House complex.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 22: A rendering of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed $250 million White House ballroom is displayed as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House on October 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Less than a week after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump is meeting with Rutte to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The new ballroom, depicted on the right side of the Executive Residence in the rendering above, will cover 90,000 square feet. That's larger than the entire Executive Residence, which measures around 55,000 square feet, according to the White House Historical Association.
The ballroom will provide more space for larger events. The East Room, the biggest room in the White House, holds 200 people. For larger events, a tent must be erected on the White House lawn.
The first iteration of the East Wing, known as the East Terrace, was built in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt.
A fountain outside the newly constructed East Wing of the White House in 1902.
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The East Terrace, built one story high, functioned as a formal entrance to the White House where visitors deposited their coats and hats.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the East Terrace with additional offices, creating what became known as the East Wing in 1942.
The East Colonnade leading to the East Wing of the White House.
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Roosevelt added a second floor to the East Wing. The White House's secure bunker, the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, was also built beneath the East Wing during Roosevelt's 1942 renovation.
The Office of the First Lady has been housed in the East Wing since 1977.
First Lady Jill Biden participates in an interview with Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski Wednesday, January 10, 2024, in the her East Wing Office of the White House.
Official White House Photo by Erin Scott
Rosalynn Carter was the first first lady to establish a White House office in the East Wing.
The White House Visitors Office, which manages public tours of the White House and plans events such as the White House Easter Egg Roll, was also located there.
The East Wing entrance featured prominently in White House's annual holiday decorations.
FILE - The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holiday season, Nov. 29, 2016, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik, File/AP
True to its roots as an entrance for visitors, public tours of the White House began in the East Wing.
The White House said the new ballroom would be funded by Trump and "other patriot donors."
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 22: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a rendering of his proposed $250 million White House ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House on October 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Less than a week after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump is meeting with Rutte to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
In July, the White House announced that the ballroom would cost approximately $200 million to build. On Wednesday, Trump amended the cost to $300 million.
Donors to Trump's ballroom include Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, as well as individuals such as Blackstone Group CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who now runs the US Small Business Administration.
On Monday, demolition work began on the facade of the East Wing.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 21: The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The White House had previously been vague about how the project would impact the existing White House structure, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters in July that "the necessary construction will take place."
Trump had also said that the ballroom's construction "won't interfere with the current building."
As the construction work continued, it became clear that the East Wing would soon become a thing of the past.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 22: Demolition crews continue dismantling parts of the East Wing of the White House on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The work is part of preparations for the construction of a new ballroom, ordered by President Donald Trump.
Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Trump confirmed on Wednesday that the entire East Wing would be demolished to make way for his 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
"In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure," Trump said.
By Thursday, the East Wing was gone.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 23: An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing at least $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.
Eric Lee/Getty Images
At a briefing on Thursday, Leavitt acknowledged that the scope of the demolition had changed during planning.
"The plans changed when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come, for it to be a truly strong and stable structure, this phase one that we're now in was necessary," she said.
The project has been met with mixed reactions.
Rubble is piled as demolition continues on the East Wing of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The National Trust for Historic Preservation released a statement on Tuesday saying that the group was "deeply concerned" that the massive ballroom would "overwhelm" the White House and disrupt its classical design.
"We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, both of which have authority to review new construction at the White House, and to invite comments from the American people," the statement read.
Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump in 2016, expressed her disapproval in a post on social media.
"It's not his house. It's your house. And he's destroying it," she wrote.
In a statement, the White House called opposition to the ballroom's construction "manufactured outrage" from "unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies" and cited numerous White House renovations undertaken by past presidents.
