A historian who has spent years studying America’s first ladies said she was “devastated” when hearing of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House — a space she called “the heart” of the first lady’s work since the Roosevelt era — to make way for a new ballroom.

The East Wing, where first ladies created history, planned state dinners and promoted causes, is now history itself. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including workspace for first ladies and their staffs, has been turned into rubble, demolished as part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House at an updated cost of $300 million.

According to Katherine Sibley, a history professor at Saint Joseph’s University, the East Wing has served as the base of operations for every first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt, housing the Office of the first lady and staff who championed causes from mental health and education to global women’s rights. She said its loss represents more than a change in architecture — it signals what she sees as a disregard for the evolving public role of first ladies, who for decades have used the space to shape national conversations and carry forward the White House’s humanitarian legacy.

AP Video by Tassanee Vejpongsa