East Wing

East Wing of the White House from the southeast in 1992

The East Wing is part of the White House Complex. The building is constructed in two storeys. The East Wing is located east of the White House Executive Residence, the residence of the President of the United States. The east wing houses offices of the First Lady and her staff, as well as other offices of the White House Social Secretary, the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office and rooms of the post department. The east wing houses the cinema and the visitor entrance of the White House. About a colonnade is the east wing to the main part of the White House, the residence, connected. Guests to events in the White House as banquets usually enter the White House through the East Wing.

Visitor groups also enter the White House through the East Wing. They first arrive in the wood -paneled lobby, hanging in the portraits of Presidents and First Ladies. From the lobby there is access through the Garden Room, which allows access to the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and the Ostkolonnade, between the cinema and the garden, to the Visitors Lobby, the last room of the East Wing in front of the residence. The residence is entered from there over the basement.

History

President Jefferson added during his tenure pillared terraces on the east and west sides of the White House, but there were no wing extensions. Under Andrew Jackson in 1834 saw the first running water that was pumped from a source through pipes to the colonnades on the east side. First, the water was only used for washing, and soon were first bathroom in the colonnades on the east side but the terrace was eingerichtet.1866 replaced by a greenhouse.

The first smaller East Wing was built during the great Theodore Roosevelt renovation, as hall for formal and other visitors. Especially for large receptions, it was used since they usually need a lot of space for coaches and cars and the drivers. Special purpose was for the dressing room, which offered plenty of space for hats and coats of visitors.

The now existing East Wing was built in 1942, mainly to cover up the construction of the bunker located beneath it, known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center ( PEOC ) today. During this time, the wardrobe space was converted into a cinema. Later, the office of the communication, calligraphers and the Social Secretary were housed in the east wing. Eleanor Roosevelt was the first that dealt a Social Secretary.

Rosalynn Carter brought in 1977 as first her personal office in the East Wing under. Formally, they called it the "Office of the First Lady ." The housed there today office of Social Secretary prepares, among others, the invitations for events at the White House, instead it has the support of the Graphics and Calligraphy Office, which for example, create the invitations or menus handwritten.