By Douglas V. Gibbs
President Trump decided it is time to create something that just about every President has called for but didn’t have the ba– … uh … intestinal fortitude to accomplish: Build a great big beautiful ballroom for the White House. Originally, President Trump planned to update the East Wing within its existing structure, but after listening to his construction and architectural experts he has around him, he decided the structural capabilities of the East Wing were not what he’d hoped, and it would be best to bring it down, and then build a new East Wing with modern technology blended into its modernized and more stable framework.
The original White House goes all the way back to shortly after America’s founding. The White House possessed neither the East Wing nor the West Wing during the more than a hundred years of its early life. George Washington oversaw the initial design and planning of the White House but never lived there. Construction was completed in 1800, during the final year of John Adams’ presidency, making him the first President to live in the White House. He moved in November 1800, and oversaw the interior finishing and basic furnishings. Thomas Jefferson, the first President to spend his entire presidency in the White House, added terraces, landscaping, and stables. He commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe to add the East and West Colonnades, connecting the residence to service wings. During James Madison’s presidency the White House was burned by the British in 1814 during the War of 1812. It was rebuilt during Madison’s presidency under architect James Hoban, completed in 1817. James Monroe completed the post-fire reconstruction, and furnished the interiors with French décor, with some of the pieces remaining today. John Quincy Adams installed the first indoor plumbing and bathtub, and created an observatory on the roof. Andrew Jackson added running water and central heating (hot-air furnace), and updated public rooms with new furniture. Millard Fillmore installed the first library in the White House. Franklin Pierce refurnished many rooms after a fire in the Library. Ulysses S. Grant installed indoor plumbing upgrades and gas lighting, and added redecorated parlors and formal rooms in Victorian style. Rutherford B. Hayes installed the first telephone and decorated the Red Room and other public areas. Chester A. Arthur conducted a major redecoration installing stained-glass doors, colorful wallpapers, and gaslight chandeliers. Benjamin Harrison installed electric lighting in 1891, and updated the plumbing and heating systems. William McKinley updated the kitchen and communication systems.
Prior to the twentieth century, updates and renovations to the White House were common, and all of it was paid for by American tax dollars, as was all of the subsequent renovations – with President Trump’s latest East Wing project serving as an exception. Despite all of the renovations and projects, the West Wing and East Wing did not exist until the dawn of the twentieth century. Prior to the creation of the permanent wings the President, his family, and staff all worked and lived in the main Executive Mansion. Overcrowding and modernization needs however, led to a major renovation under President Theodore Roosevelt who in 1902 commissioned a major renovation. Roosevelt removed all of the Victorian décor, restoring the Federal-era look. The West Wing was constructed to house the President’s offices. A temporary East Wing was added, mainly as a covered entrance for formal receptions and events. It provided access to the new East Garden and Conservatory, and served as a waiting area for guests. He also remodeled the State Dining Room.
William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and added the Oval Office. He also installed the first central air circulation system with fans and ducts. Woodrow Wilson installed the first elevator in the residence, and upgraded the telephone system.
The East Wing as we came to know it before President Trump’s construction crew demolished it dates to 1942 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt tore down the old East Wing and commissioned the construction of an updated and more permanent structure. It was built for security and secrecy, with its primary purpose concealing the construction of an underground bunker beneath it known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). The PEOC was a fallout bomb shelter designed for the President and key staff during emergencies, a key feature considering that the United States at the time had recently joined World War II. The PEOC was famously used on 9/11. After World War II, the East Wing remained and was adapted for administrative and ceremonial purposes. FDR also added a swimming pool for therapy, also famously (or perhaps I should say “infamously”) used by President Kennedy, and later removed by Nixon and converted to a press briefing room. Roosevelt, with his expansion of the West Wing added the press room and Map Room.
In the post-war era the East Wing became the domain of the First Lady and her staff. It housed the Office of the First Lady, White House Social Office, Correspondence Unit, and offices for White House Visitors and Tours. The East Wing provided access through the East Wing corridor to the Garden Room, Vermeil Room, and China Room, also rooms closing associated with the First Lady’s activities. Another corridor, the East Colonnade, was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, later modified by Roosevelt’s renovation, connecting the East Wing to the main residence. It was along that passage one could view portraits of the modern First Ladies.
Roosevelt’s neoclassical design harmonized with the White House’s original Federal design, serving as the formal public entry point for visitors on White House tours and for guests attending state dinners or receptions. The Underground Bunker has been maintained and occasionally upgraded a number of times since, remaining one of the White House’s most secure areas. The PEOC is going to be affected by the new East Wing renovation/reconstruction, but details have not been released. The 90,000 square-foot ballroom for the White House will only be a part of the entire new construction project, with the entirety of the East Wing being modernized and upgraded including the underground bunker. Unlike prior White House projects, Trump’s renovation is being funded completely by private dollars – something, perhaps, FDR should have considered since his projects all occurred during the Great Depression.
Democratic President Harry S. Truman carried out a complete gut renovation from 1948 to 1952, claiming it was needed due to structural collapse risk. Only the outer walls remained. The entire interior was rebuilt with steel framing. Truman added a balcony on the South Portico (Truman Balcony), and he updated all of the plumbing, heating, and electrical systems.
Eisenhower installed the first air conditioning, modernized television and radio equipment, and refurbished the Cabinet Room and West Wing offices.
John F. Kennedy’s restoration was considered a historic preservation project. He refurnished all of the rooms with authentic period antiques, created the White House Historical Association, and the White House Guidebook. He reestablished the mansion’s role as a “museum of American History.”
Lyndon B. Johnson upgraded communication systems for the Vietnam era, added television broadcasting facilities, and created the Family Theater.
Nixon remodeled the West Wing, adding the press briefing room over FDR’s old pool, updated the Situation Room, and installed a tape recording system which was later removed after Watergate.
Gerald Ford continued Nixon’s West Wing updates, and added new security systems. Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof (later removed by Reagan). Ronald Reagan conducted major security and infrastructure upgrades, modernized communications, and refurbished the private quarters. George H.W. Bush also conducted modernization projects, and updated the Situation Room and HVAC systems. Bill Clinton refurbished the State Dining Room, Oval Office and Map Room while also improving the computer infrastructure. George W. Bush expanded and modernized the PEOC, added secure communications upgrades, and refurbished the West Wing offices. Barack Obama restored the Blue Room, Red Room, and State Dining Room; modernized White House IT systems, and upgraded energy efficiency. During Donald Trump’s first term he overhauled HVAC, electrical, and security systems while also refurbishing the Oval Office, East Room and Blue Room. He added gold curtains, redesigned décor reminiscent of early classical tones, and oversaw a Rose Garden restoration which was led by First Lady Melania Trump. Joe Biden continued the modernization and restoration projects, including West Wing refurbishments, updated Situation Room and press briefing technology, and completed further energy and security retrofits.
As we have discussed, a large number of Presidents have made renovations, additions, or changes to the White House throughout history, most of them doing so without any explicit congressional blessing or heavy public scrutiny. All of them were conducted using taxpayer dollars, with the exception of Trump’s latest ballroom project which is being paid with private dollars which removes any need for congressional involvement.
The 1902 White House renovation during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency was paid for with federal funds appropriated by Congress. The funding came through an appropriation for “repairs and improvements” to the Executive Mansion in the Sundry Civil Appropriations Act for that year. Congress allocated approximately $575,000 (equivalent to about $20 million today) for the entire renovation project.
The project was overseen by the Public Buildings and Grounds Office, then a part of the War Department. Roosevelt personally selected the architect and construction team to carry out the work. The bill’s general appropriation allowed all renovations without worrying about line item approval for new construction. With a few exceptions, all of the funding under all of the Presidents was achieved by specific congressional appropriations through the Executive Office Building maintenance budget or special White House improvement bills.
Prior to World War II, the East Wing was little more than a covered entrance and guest reception area. In 1942, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt tore it down, ordering a new East Wing to be constructed – and he sought no approval from Congress including the funding. While his project did conceal the construction of the PEOC, Roosevelt also viewed the new East Wing as necessary not only to increase indoor space that may be utilized by him, but also it was a plan for modernization. Because of its wartime secrecy, the East Wing’s construction was paid for through wartime defense and emergency appropriations, not regular White House maintenance funds. The money came from the President’s Emergency Fund, a flexible allocation under Executive Office of the President wartime contingency funds, approved by Congress but without detailed disclosure of each project for national security reasons. This allowed the administration to build both the East Wing and the PEOC discreetly under the guise of “temporary wartime office space and protective measures,” and do so without any direct congressional involvement.
As the East Wing became the domain of the First Lady with the First Lady’s Office and White House social operations its maintenance, renovation, and modernization of both wings have since been handled by annual appropriations to the White House Office account within the Executive Office of the President budget.
In the text of the U.S. Constitution there is no direct enumerated authority to Congress regarding any congressional approval of any renovation or construction projects regarding the White House. The only reason in the past Congress was involved at all (on the occasions that they were involved) was so that the funds could be appropriated for the projects. Presidents typically used existing statutory discretion over Executive Mansion maintenance to plan the projects and carry them out, funding each project by operating through administrative interpretation of appropriations, rather than seeking any direct legislative authorization or appropriations.
Under President Trump’s current project the modernization of the East Wing required a demolition of the outdated and unsafe structure, but the President has also confirmed that the “entirety of the East Wing will be modernized” in the process. The project documentation explicitly mentions that the PEOC will be upgraded, and that the new East Wing will be better than before, larger than before, and more appropriate as a representation of American Greatness.
Looking back into history it is clear that the White House has never been static. Each renovation tells the story of America’s journey from a developing country to a world power – from the architectural vision of Washington and Jefferson to the wartime pragmatism of Franklin Roosevelt to President Trump’s modernization of the East Wing and the PEOC. It all reminds us that safeguarding the executive branch is not just about aesthetics or convenience, but about preserving the continuity of our constitutional republic itself. The White House is both the home of the President and an American fortress. It is a living symbol of liberty’s endurance in an uncertain world, and a visible message to the rest of the world about our values, readiness, resolve, and role as a beacon of freedom on the world stage. We are steadfast, sovereign, and ready to defend the principles upon which it is founded. The new grand ballroom is an important symbolic message to the world, which is watching. It projects strength, stability and confidence as it hosts dignitaries, world leaders and citizens alike. The new East Wing will serve as a place where peace is pursued through conversation, mirroring America’s founding philosophy that power when tempered with principle creates order and liberty. The new ballroom and East Room will serve as a symbol of strength under grace and will better define American character as an enduring symbol of the White House on the World Stage. It continues the legacy that began with Jefferson’s classical vision and Roosevelt’s wartime practicality.
The White House has always embodied the balance between might and civility, resilience and refinement and liberty at home as something that may be emulated abroad. The new East Wing with its secure foundation and stately ballroom captures that balance perfectly. In the bunker below it protects our leaders in times of peril, and above it we will have a polished face that welcomes the world in peace. The new East Wing with its grand ballroom projects the truth of strength and liberty, ready to defend freedom around the world while standing as an enduring example before the eyes of the world. And that is why the left hates it. They are collectivists. In their eyes America is not supposed to be great, it is supposed to be a lowly equally socialist member of a global collective. Their argument against it is not just crazy, it reveals exactly who they really are. They abhor America as a sovereign, independent and powerful member of a global community who refuses to bow down to any other power, but is willing to be involved on America’s terms when it best serves our interests a country.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
