On Oct. 20, 2025, demolition of the East Wing of the White House began. This work, according to President Trump, is just the beginning of his plans to build a new grand ballroom. Trump told the public back in July that these plans would not interfere with pre-existing structures. The East Wing stood for 123 years, first constructed as the East Terrace in 1902, according to the White House. That is just over a century’s worth of history, torn down in a matter of days.
The United States was established as a country in 1776. We have just below 250 years under our belts. Compared to countries around the world that have existed for over a millenia, the U.S. is like a baby. We do not have 10th century monasteries, or ancient ships and castles. Like those, the White House is one of the most recognizable landmarks in our country, as well as an essential part of our history. So, why is part of it allowed to be torn down?
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a worldwide organization promoting international cooperation in the arts and culture. I bring them up because they protect and maintain dedicated world heritage sites in every country. The majority of these sites are centuries old, but the important part is that the majority are areas of historical and cultural intrigue in their respective countries, and big tourist attractions.
According to UNESCO, their most important qualifying criteria for World Heritage sites is that they are of “Outstanding Universal Value”. Would the White House meet this bar? Unlikely. However, talk of UNESCO is crucial to this point as the White House is a site of historical and cultural importance in our country. If sites like those are protected elsewhere, the standard should not be set against that here.
Talk of UNESCO designation is not relevant in the United States anymore though, as soon enough we will not be part of the organization. According to a Press Release from the U.S. Department of State, the United States decided to withdraw from UNESCO earlier in 2025, the change officially done in Dec. 2026. Tammy Bruce, the author of the statement, cited UNESCO’s decision to admit Palestine as a member state as the U.S.’s main reason for departing.
This news, while likely for the reasons stated above, serves as a precursor of sorts of further changes we should expect to see in our country. Namely, the growing trend of disregard for historic and/or natural places in our country that by all means should be safeguarded.
News of the East Wing demolition came just days before the Trump administration’s announcement that part of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be opened to oil drilling. While not a national park, this land is the traditional home of the Iñupiat and Gwichʼin peoples, and home to loads of ecological diversity, such as all three species of North American bears, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. In my eyes, those factors certainly classify this land as something to be protected.
These days, historical preservation is a common topic of discourse among scholars. With each new historical discovery, particularly as new perspectives come to light, there is always a debate over what should be preserved. Our country may not have the rich history behind it that other countries do, but there is still value in the history we have. Without preserving the certain monuments and natural areas that we have, we run the risk of losing what our predecessors worked so hard to build.
With the changes we have seen under the Trump Administration as discussed thus far, it does not look like the government finds posterity to make a compelling case. Unfortunately, the White House and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may be the first of many to be damaged in this debacle.
