The East Wing of the White House was originally built in 1902 during President Theodore Roosevelt's renovations. It initially served as an entrance for formal and public visitors and included a long cloak room. The existing two- story structure of the East Wing was largely expanded and altered in 1942 to cover the construction of an underground bunker known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). Over time, the East Wing has housed offices for the First Lady and her staff, the social secretary, and other functions. Currently, major renovations and a new ballroom construction project are underway, including demolishing parts of the old East Wing facade in 2025 to make way for the new ballroom.
