The demolition of the East Wing of the White House resulted in the destruction of the home of key pieces of American history and rooms that have been available to the public for decades. The East Wing was first built in 1902, and has been home to everything from the offices of the First Lady to a 42-seat movie theater.
The demolition was also a reversal of Donald Trump’s July 2025 pledge that none of the existing White House infrastructure would be damaged or destroyed as he builds his ballroom.
The Trump administration announced plans to build the massive ballroom where the East Wing once stood, and have stated that it will be complete well before his 2029 exit from office.
Here’s a look at some of what was lost in the demolition:
First Lady command base
The East Wing had served as a kind of operational base for the First Lady ever since Rosalynn Carter moved her offices to the area in 1977.
Public tour entrance
Public tours of the White House have been suspended since Trump began demolition of the East Wing, which was the location of the tour entrance. Guests typically entered from the south side of East Executive Avenue directly into the East Wing, where they could visit the State Dining Room, East Room, Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, and the Family Theater.
Jacqueline Kennedy garden
Kennedy focused on both the Rose Garden and the East Garden after her husband assumed office in 1961 — a valiant effort in part due to the state of disrepair into which the White House and grounds had fallen over the years. Lady Bird Johnson renamed the East Garden the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in honor of those efforts.
Family theater
The 42-seat family movie theater was also destroyed during the East Wing demolition. The theater dated back to 1942 under the Franklin Roosevelt administration and was initially where the then-president would watch newsreels and World War II updates. Each subsequent president screened movies in the theater with some regularity — JFK watched “From Russia in Love” in the theater the night before he was shot, and Jimmy Carter screened nearly 500 movies in the theater during his time in office.
