And what comes next?
The news that the entire East Wing of the White House came as a surprise to Americans of multiple political stripes Wednesday. The original plans for a ballroom on the grounds of the White House were to preserve most of the East Wing, but administration officials later said that it was determined to be “cheaper and more structurally sound” to demolish the East Wing instead.
The East Wing of the White House had up until that point been largely out of the public consciousness, housing mostly office spaces and serving as the primary entrance for tour visitors.
What Was the East Wing?
Under much less of a microscope than the famed West Wing, where much of the day-to-day operations of the Office of the President take place, the East Wing has traditionally been the domain of the social aspects of the Executive Residence, and has also customarily been used as an office space for the First Lady for nearly five decades.
The exterior colonnades leading to the East and West Wings were originally added by Thomas Jefferson, but they were open-air spaces without connecting the executive residence to any exterior buildings. Most of the business and social functions of the White House were housed within the executive residence until 1902, when First Lady Edith Roosevelt aimed to move the business of the White House out of the President’s and First Lady’s home.
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Funds were appropriated by Congress, and the West Wing and East Wing of the White House were built that year—the West Wing for the President’s offices, and the East Wing as a reception area for visitors during large social gatherings, at a time when entrance spaces for public venues required significant space for large carriages and substantial cloakrooms.
The two-story East Wing structure was built in 1942 as a clandestine cover for the construction of an underground bunker beneath it, which today is still the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, designed to be a refuge for the President in case of an attack on the White House. Offices for the White House’s social teams, including calligraphers, social and correspondence secretaries gradually took up space in this addition. It wasn’t until 1977 that First Lady Rosalynn Carter kept an office in the East Wing, and First Ladies have maintained East Wing offices by custom in the years since.
It’s worth noting that in 123 years, the East Wing only had one major renovation and expansion, while the West Wing has had four major structural renovations and numerous internal redecorations and minor renovations.
Visiting The White House
Quite similarly to the purpose it was originally built for, the East Wing was normally the access point for free, self-guided White House tours. It’s unclear what access point White House tours are going to use moving forward, but the meeting point for tours is a few blocks from the White House itself. The tours also used to include public rooms in the East Wing, but are now likely to focus on the public rooms in the executive residence, including the Vermeil Room, the Library, the China Room, the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, the State Dining Room, and a view of the White House Kennedy Garden. US citizens and permanent residents can request a tour through their House Representative; citizens of other countries can contact their embassy for assistance.
The White House Visitor Center is typically a good resource for Washington visitors with an interest in the White House, but it’s currently closed because of the government shutdown. A good alternative is The People’s House: A White House Experience, which is a privately funded, non-government not-for-profit, and remains open.
The White House State Ballroom will be constructed on the site, with a seated capacity of 650 people.
