The historic East Wing of the White House was completely demolished to build the ballroom that Trump wanted

The cranes completed the demolition of the annex of the presidential residence, which began last Monday.

In its place, Trump has ordered the construction of a ballroom of about 8,000 square meters, with capacity for up to 900 people and an estimated cost of 300 million dollars.

According to the White House, the project will be financed by private donors and by the president himself.

The design corresponds to the firm McCrery Architects, which will preserve the American neoclassical style characteristic of the presidential complex inaugurated in 1800.

The East Wing of the White House was built in 1902, during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, to visually balance the West Wing, where the Oval Office is located.

Initially it was a simple two-story structure, which was expanded in 1942, under the mandate of Franklin D. Roosevelt, with the addition of an underground bunker.

Throughout its history, the East Wing has served as a formal entrance for official visits, a space for social events, and the home of the first ladies’ office, a function that began with Eleanor Roosevelt.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, issued an urgent call for work to be halted “until the plans go through the required legal public review processes.”