Demolition of the White House East Wing building happening on October 21, 2025. Image credit: Wikimedia user Sizzlipedia licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The American Institute of Architects has launched a campaign calling for an investigation into the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. In a page titled ‘Preserve the People’s House,’ the institute calls on individuals to ask their members of Congress to investigate the project.
The call comes days after AIA released a separate statement calling for transparency in how the project was planned and funded. AIA was one of several institutions to criticize the move.
“AIA is now asking Congress to exercise their oversight powers and investigate how the executive branch is allowed to destroy the historic facade of the White House without adhering to any process or review,” AIA notes, prompting people to provide contact information so that AIA can match them with their Representative.
Exterior rendering of the East Wing Ballroom expansion. Image: McCrery Architects/White House
The AIA campaign comes as a poll by ABC News, the Washington Post, and Ipsos found that 56% of Americans oppose the tearing down of the East Wing. Only 28% of respondents supported the move, with 16% unsure. Support for the project is divided along party lines, with 88% of Democrats against the project as opposed to 38% of Republicans.
Separately, the largest asbestos victims’ organization in the United States has raised concerns over whether the project has adhered to safety practices for handling hazardous materials. “Federal law requires comprehensive asbestos inspection, notification, and abatement before any demolition,” wrote the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, in comments carried by ABC News. “No publicly available information demonstrates that these statutory obligations have been fulfilled.”
You can follow Archinect’s ongoing coverage of the project and its fallout here, and join the lively discussion among Archinect readers in our forum here.
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