White_House_East_Wing_from_the_N-E_in_1992

The East Wing of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

is a two-story structure that serves as office space for the

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

and her staff, including the

White House social secretary The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Function The social ...

, White House

Graphics and Calligraphy Office The Graphics and Calligraphy Office (GCO) is a unit of the Social Office at the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. Located in the East Wing, the Graphics and Calligraphy Office coordinates and produces al ...

and correspondence staff. The East Wing also includes the visitors' entrance and the East Colonnade, a corridor connecting the body of the East Wing to the residence. Along the corridor is the White House theater, also called the Family theater. Social and touring visitors to the White House usually enter through the East Wing. The East Wing was built on top of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a secure emergency underground shelter for the President. Visitors touring the White House enter through the wood-paneled

lobby Lobby may refer to: * Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building * Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians :* Lobbying in the United States, specific to the United States * Lobby (food), a thick st ...

, where portraits of presidents and first ladies hang. They go through the Garden Room and along the East Colonnade, which has a view of the

Jacqueline Kennedy Garden The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is located at the White House south of the East Colonnade. The garden balances the Rose Garden on the west side of the White House. History Edith Carow Roosevelt, who had established her "Colonial Garden" on the ...

, past the theater to the Visitors' Foyer. They enter the residence at the ground floor.

History

President Thomas Jefferson added

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

d terraces to the east and west sides of the White House, but no actual wings. Under Jackson in 1834, running water was piped in from a spring and pumped up into the east terrace in metal tubes. These ran through the walls and protruded into the rooms, controlled by spigots. Initially, the water was for washing items, but soon the first bathing rooms were created, in the ground-level east colonnade. Van Buren had shower baths installed here. The East Terrace was removed in 1866. For many years, a greenhouse occupied the east grounds of the White House. The first small East Wing was built during the

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

renovations, as an entrance for formal and public visitors. This served mainly as an entrance for guests during large social gatherings, when it was necessary to accommodate many cars and carriages—as well as many cloaks and hats. Its primary feature was the long cloak room with spots for coats and hats of the ladies and gentlemen. WHComplex

The East Wing as it exists today was added to the White House in 1942 primarily to cover the construction of an underground bunker, now known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). Around the same time, Theodore Roosevelt's coatroom became the movie theater. Later, offices for correspondence, calligraphers and the social secretary were placed in the East Wing.

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

employed the first social secretary.

Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...

, in 1977, was the first First Lady to keep her own office in the East Wing. Today, the social secretary prepares all of the invitations and written correspondence for every event held at the White House.

References

External links

The White House Web site

with floorplan and historical images {{coord, 38, 53, 51.2, N, 77, 2, 8.4, W, type:landmark_region:US-DC, display=title White House White House Executive Residence Operations