Former Archivist of the U.S. gives East Wing origin story

It s achievable that for generations of Americans this past week will be remembered for when the East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for President Donald Trump s million ballroom Related stories At least historic magnolia trees Kennedy Garden appear to have been removed to make way for Trump s White House ballroom Photos of the White House s East Wing then and now Satellite images show before and after of demolition of White House East Wing While for particular it may seem like both the East and West wings have been a part of the Executive Mansion since President John Adams moved in back on Nov the truth is both the East and West Wings were built to accommodate the large family of the president who officially named the mansion The White House A little over years after Adams made Pennsylvania Avenue home Theodore Roosevelt realized with his six children he was going to need more room upstairs in the Executive Mansion and to move his home office someplace else Colleen J Shogan the th Archivist of the United States communicated WTOP that the th President needed to expand the West Wing for office space and The East Wing was more for socializing They started to welcome more and more visitors to the White House for formal events and needed a place for the carriages to drive up and then eventually when cars were in place reported Shogan While Thomas Jefferson had an east and west colonnade built at the Executive Mansion it was not until Teddy Roosevelt that a structure was built The next change for the East Wing would take place years later while Teddy Roosevelt s cousin was Commander in Chief The East Wing we know nowadays occurred under Franklin Roosevelt noted Shogan The East Wing certainly was modernized and there were two floors built Shogan who also served as senior vice president of The White House Historical Association declared along with being the place you would enter when visiting the White House on a tour or for a formal event the space also included a workspace There s the calligraphy office the Office of the First Lady the Office of the Social Secretary for the White House and then numerous other historic sites as you make your way into the main mansion Shogan mentioned One of the amenities that Presidents have loved for decades was also housed in the East Wing the White House Family Theater which also served another purpose Even in modern days it turned into a coat room announced Shogan There was absolutely no other place to store such a high volume of coats when people come for a state dinner or another formal event at the White House It was not until that the East Wing became the home for the first lady s office thanks to Rosalynn Carter Shogan believes the purpose that the East Wing serves is why so various Americans were upset by the images and videos last week Americans really love their first ladies commented Shogan They may may or may not like the president but first ladies are usually given different status in American cultural memory Shogan reported WTOP she heard the White House Historical Association did preserve photography of the East Wing before it was demolished and was there to assist with preservation of the portraits and other historic items There s a lot of things that are owned by the White House that are not on display Shogan commented So they have excellent storage for preservation and conservation purposes Shogan served as archivist until President Donald Trump dismissed her this past February and she is now the president and CEO of in Pursuit Source