The White House has been home to every U.S. president since 1800, when John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in — before construction on the building was even finished. Since then, the residence has evolved through centuries of expansion, renovation and, at times, controversy.

While much attention is often paid to the West Wing, home to the Oval Office, executive staff offices, the Cabinet Room and the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, the East Wing has its own history.

Today, as new construction once again turns eyes toward this side of the White House, it’s worth looking back at how the East Wing came to be.

Origins of the East Wing

The East Wing’s story begins with President Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who in the early 1800s added a colonnaded ter

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