Demolition has begun on the East Wing of the White House in preparation for construction of US President Donald Trump's new ballroom.
Construction crews used cranes Monday to tear out huge chunks of the covered entryway and windows in the east wing, according to photographs and witness accounts from the scene.
Trump previously said the $250 million White House ballroom addition would be “adjacent” to the existing structure but would not change it.
“It will not interfere with the current building. It won't. It will be next to it, but not touching it – and it will be a complete respect for the existing building, of which I am the biggest fan,” Trump said in July. “This is my favorite place. This is my favorite place. I like it.”
The White House has served as the historic home of the President of the United States for two centuries. The east wing was built in 1902 and was last renovated in 1942.
On the south side of the building, the BBC saw several large pieces of construction equipment, some decorated with US flags, near the East Wing of the White House.
The covered entrance spanning much of the south side of the East Wing appeared to have been gutted, with concrete debris and metal cables clearly visible from several hundred meters away.
The event attracted a small number of curious onlookers who stopped to ask photographers and reporters what was going on.
One woman, wearing a surgical mask and an anti-Trump sign, expressed alarm. She didn't introduce herself.
“I don’t like this,” she said, apparently to no one in particular, gesturing toward the White House from behind a yellow van parked nearby. “Look what he does with it!”
Trump and the White House have not yet commented on the demolition or why construction appears to have damaged the existing East Wing, despite the president's previous statements.
