East Wing

The East Wing was a part of the White House complex in Washington, D.C. that was built in 1902, expanded in 1942, and demolished in 2025. Situated on the east side of the original main building of the White House, the building served as office for the first lady and her staff, including the White House social secretary, correspondence staff, and the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office, all of which have been moved until the new East Wing is build. The East Wing was connected to the White House through the East Colonnade, a corridor with windows facing the South Lawn that housed the White House Family Theater, which was a cinema, and connected to the ground floor of the main building of the White House. The first small East Wing (and the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office) was designed by Charles Follen McKim and built in 1902 during the Theodore Roosevelt renovations, as an entrance for formal and public visitors. This served mainly as an entrance for guests during large social gatherings, when it was necessary to accommodate many cars and horse carriages. In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt oversaw an expansion and remodel of the East Wing. This included the construction of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center beneath the building, which serves as a bunker during emergencies. First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in 1977, was the first to keep her own office in the East Wing. The social office prepares all of the invitations and written correspondence for every event held at the White House. In the month before its demolition, preparation began for the much larger proposed White House State Ballroom. The entire East Wing was demolished in late October, which was widely criticized by opposition politicans and preservationists, for not respecting preservation laws, for not respecting U.S. laws by not seeking the approval of U.S. Congress, as well as for the secrecy surrounding the demolition and the new building project. Gallery References Other websites Media related to East Wing at Wikimedia Commons White House Museum page on the East Wing