Is the East Wing really a historical relic that is sacrosanct from any modifications and demolition?

Truth Detector

Truth Detector

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Watching lying leftist loons lacking any common sense, historical knowledge or intelligence is really quite entertaining.

The fact that they are ALWAYS wrong about everything and don't seem to care suggests a party of mentally disturbed dumbasses.

Here's some history on the East Wing and previous renovations.

1815 to 1817: Rebuilding of the White House under Presidents James Madison and James Monroe after burning by British troops in the War of 1812​

Scope: Presidents Madison and Monroe oversaw a multi-year reconstruction of the original 8,000-square-foot White House after its interior was destroyed by the British during the Burning of Washington. Only the exterior walls remained, but they were weakened by fire and the elements and had to be mostly rebuilt as well (except for portions of the south wall).

Cost: Approximately $500,000 (or $11.5 million to $13 million, adjusted for inflation)

1824 and 1829: Additions of South and North Porticos under Presidents James Monroe and Andrew Jackson​

Scope: The White House’s iconic colonnaded porticos were added by original architect James Hoban within a five-year period in the early 1800s.

Cost: About $19,000 for the elliptical South Portico and about $25,000 for the rectangular North Portico (or a little more than $1 million combined and adjusted for inflation).

1881: Redecoration under President Chester A. Arthur​

Scope: Among other changes, Arthur cleared rooms, sold off furniture and commissioned Tiffany lighting.

Cost: $110,00 (or $3.5 million to $4.5 million, adjusted for inflation)

1902: Major renovation and expansion beyond the White House residence under President Theodore Roosevelt​

Scope: First lady Edith Roosevelt hired the architects McKim, Mead & White to separate the White House’s living quarters from its offices, creating a temporary West Wing on a site previously occupied by stables and greenhouses along with an “East Wing” entrance for formal and public visitors. The Roosevelts also enlarged and modernized the White House’s public rooms, redid its landscaping and redecorated its interior.

Cost: Congress appropriated $475,445 for the project (or $18 million to $22 million, adjusted for inflation)

1909: Expansion of the West Wing and creation of the Oval Office under President William Howard Taft​

Scope: Taft expanded the existing, temporary building southward, covering the tennis court, and placed the first Oval Office at the center of the addition's south facade.

Cost: Unspecified

1927: Renovation of upper floors and attic of the White House under President Calvin Coolidge​

Scope: Coolidge replaced the White House’s original wood trusses with steel while rebuilding the roof and adding third-floor living spaces and offices for servants and secretaries.

Cost: $185,000 (or $3.5 million, adjusted for inflation)

1929 and 1930: Renovation and reconstruction of the West Wing under President Herbert Hoover ​

Scope: In 1929, Hoover spent seven months remodeling the West Wing, excavating a partial basement and supporting it with structural steel. But on Christmas Eve of that year, a four-alarm fire significantly damaged his newly completed project. Hoover was forced to rebuild the West Wing the following year.

Cost: Unspecified

1934 and 1942: Overhaul of the West Wing and construction of the current East Wing under President Franklin D. Roosevelt​

Scope: In 1934, Roosevelt added a second floor and a larger basement to the West Wing while relocating the Oval Office to its current location; in 1942, he built the current two-story East Wing office building (primarily to cover the construction of an underground bunker). Today these two nonresidential wings of the White House measure in at 12,000 square feet.

Cost: Unspecified, but substantial

1948 to 1952: Full structural reconstruction of the White House under President Harry Truman​

Scope: Truman’s "total reconstruction" of the White House preserved its exterior walls while rebuilding its foundation, adding steel and concrete to its structure and upgrading its systems. In the process, Truman added six rooms and two new sub-basements, bringing the total square footage close to where it is today.

Cost: $5.7 million (or $70 million to $85 million, adjusted for inflation)

1975: Construction of an outdoor swimming pool on the South Lawn under President Gerald Ford ​

Scope: Ford built a roughly 1,200-square-foot outdoor pool to replace the indoor pool that his predecessor, Richard Nixon, had covered and converted to the press briefing room five years earlier.

Cost: $66,800 in private donations (or $404,000, adjusted for inflation)

2007: Press briefing room renovation under President George W. Bush​

Scope: The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room covers roughly 2,200 square feet and is surrounded by small offices for the White House press corps. Bush modernized the whole area.

Cost: $8.5 million at the time (or $14 million to $18 million, adjusted for inflation). Of that total, $2.5 million came from the media itself; the remainder came from tax revenue.
 
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