WASHINGTON — Construction crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House this week, part of a $250 million project to replace the structure with a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
White House officials confirmed that the entire East Wing will be rebuilt, calling the project a modernization effort.
The East Wing, completed in 1942, houses the offices of the First Lady and White House social staff. Its demolition marks the most significant alteration to the presidential complex since the Truman renovation of the early 1950s.
The White House has said the project will be privately funded and will not rely on taxpayer money. Earlier estimates placed the cost closer to $200 million, but updated figures released this month raised that projection to about $250 million.
Preservation groups and historians have blasted the loss of a historic structure and the lack of transparency surrounding the project. Critics have noted that the administration previously suggested the new ballroom could be built without major changes to the existing East Wing.
Officials have not released a final timeline for completion, but the new addition is expected to be finished before the end of the current presidential term. The reconstruction phase will still require review by federal planning agencies once design plans are submitted, but the agencies are now stocked with Trump administration allies and unlikely to oppose his plans.
The East Wing project follows a series of major changes to the White House complex in recent years, including renovations to the Rose Garden and updates to the Oval Office. The new ballroom, when completed, would represent one of the largest expansions of the presidential residence in modern history.
