The White House East Wing through the years: Famous moments in its history
When the White House East Wing was demolished this week -- with it went more than a century of American history.
Home to the first lady's official office, a movie theater and even a hidden bunker underneath, the East Wing was leveled to make way for President Donald Trump's new $300 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Anita McBride, chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush, told ABC News that the East Wing's demolition is "jarring," but "tearing down those walls doesn’t diminish the significance of the work we accomplished there."
"First ladies' staff lived and witnessed history within those walls. It’s a place of purpose and service. Betty Ford had the best quote for how special the East Wing is: 'If the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart,'" McBride added. "East Wing stories must be preserved and shared for future generations to appreciate the role this place played in White House history."
Here are some of those historic moments.
1902: Construction of the East Terrace
The precursor to the East Wing -- called the East Terrace -- was built in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt.
According to the White House Historical Association, the East Terrace served as a visitors entrance, as seen in archival images.
1942: The East Wing comes to life
In 1942, the East Wing replaced the East Terrace, primarily as a cover for an underground bunker built below the building, according to the White House.
Now known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), the bunker has been known to sequester national leaders in times of danger, such as when Vice President Dick Cheney was taken there after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Trump during the George Floyd protests in 2020, according to White House archives.
Around the time the East Wing was built, Roosevelt's coatroom in the building was transformed into the White House Family Theatre, according to the White House.
Eleanor Roosevelt also began using the East Wing as the first lady's office during this time, according to the White House Historical Association.
1970s: The fight for equal rights from a formal office
As attention on the first lady grew substantially with Jacqueline Kennedy's tenure in the White House, then-first lady Betty Ford created the formal Office of the First Lady in the East Wing that then opened under then-first lady Rosalynn Carter in 1977, according to the White House Historical Association.
During this time, Ford, a proponent of women's rights, argued for equal pay for her female staff and an end to sex-based discrimination in the East Wing, according to the White House Historical Association.
Modern era: First ladies advocate for a litany of causes
Modern first ladies have used the East Wing as a base to lead a panoply of initiatives aimed at improving the country.
Laura Bush led nationwide literacy campaigns out of the East Wing during her tenure as first lady in the early 2000s, while Michelle Obama ran her "Let’s Move" program to bolster public health under her husband's administration.
Recently, Jill Biden used the East Wing as a hub for her work with military families and education.
2025: Demolition
The White House released a statement Monday decrying the criticism the Trump administration has received for tearing down the East Wing. Trump said in July that construction of the ballroom "won’t interfere with the current building. It’ll be near it but not touching it," but then reversed course by demolishing it.
The Trump administration argued that the "privately funded ballroom to the White House" is a "a bold, necessary addition."
The White House said that all historical aspects of the East Wing have been preserved and stored.
"All the historical components of the East Wing ... have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service with support from the White House Historical Association. Plans are in place for future use," a White House official told ABC News.
