President Trump’s push to build a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom by demolishing the East Wing has brought renewed attention to an underground military facility beneath the area — long known in broad terms but little discussed publicly in recent years.
The administration began tearing down the East Wing in October to make way for what Trump calls his “ballroom” project, a renovation estimated to cost at least $300 million that has drawn opposition from preservationists, architects and members of the public. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to stop the work, and U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon this week ruled that construction must halt until Congress authorizes completion. Leon, however, allowed some work to continue “for the safety and security of the White House,” reflecting administration claims that the project serves security as well as aesthetic purposes.
That security rationale is visible in court filings and in Trump’s public remarks. On Air Force One and in the Oval Office, Trump described a military-built complex under the planned ballroom, calling the ballroom above “essentially a shed for what’s being built under.” He cited “high-grade bulletproof glass” to protect against drones and other threats and read from a handwritten note listing upgrades: a droneproof roof, secure air-handling systems, bio-defense measures, secure telecommunications, bomb shelters and medical facilities.
The underground facility in question is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a command-and-control bunker dating to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and expanded over decades. The PEOC was used on Sept. 11, 2001; photos released later showed President George W. Bush’s aides, Vice President Dick Cheney and other senior officials sheltering in subterranean rooms equipped with phones, televisions and communications gear. Former first lady Laura Bush recounted being escorted down through steel doors into a warren of mechanical rooms and hallways before reaching the PEOC.
Over time the PEOC and related underground spaces have been periodically upgraded. Major renovation work during the Obama era involved a large excavation near the West Wing that prompted speculation and press attention; the General Services Administration described the work as routine HVAC and electrical upgrades, but journalists and others saw evidence pointing to a more substantial subterranean structure. The 2011 “Big Dig” prompted questions about security-related construction, reinforced by the volume of concrete, steel and heavy equipment observed at the site.
Reports and filings this year indicate uncertainty about the current state of White House underground facilities. CNN reported in January that parts of the bunker had been dismantled during the East Wing demolition, and it is unclear what, if anything, will replace it. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide details, saying the military is upgrading facilities but she could not elaborate. Administration officials have repeatedly limited public disclosures, arguing that details are law-enforcement sensitive or classified.
In court, the Secret Service acknowledged involvement in the construction and asked the judge to consider security needs. Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn said his agency was working with the contractor on temporary security measures around the construction site and warned that a pause in work could hamper the Secret Service’s protective mission. The administration sought to submit additional information classifiedly to avoid placing national security details on the public docket.
Trump and his allies have publicly framed the project as coordinated with the highest levels of the military and Secret Service. On social media, Trump said the lawsuit had already “exposed this heretofore Top Secret fact,” arguing that the renovation is as much about protective infrastructure as it is about adding a ceremonial space. At a National Capital Planning Commission meeting in January, the White House director of management and administration hinted at “top-secret” elements of the plan, declining to provide specifics in public sessions.
Critics have focused on other concerns as well: the scale and cost of the proposed ballroom, the limited public input and the absence of congressional authorization for a major alteration of the White House complex. Preservation groups and architectural experts stressed the historic and aesthetic importance of the East Wing, and environmental reviews and oversight have been points of contention. Despite the judge’s order, the planning commission this week approved a revised version of the ballroom plan.
The debate has revived longstanding public curiosity about the White House’s subterranean spaces. The PEOC’s existence has been an “open secret” for decades, but administrations have varied in how much they reveal. Photographs from 2001 and other disclosures have provided rare glimpses; otherwise, details are tightly controlled for security reasons. Past presidents have had varying relations with such spaces — for example, Laura Bush and President George W. Bush were offered to stay in the PEOC on 9/11 but chose not to, and the Secret Service occasionally escorted other presidents briefly into the complex during unrest or perceived threats.
As litigation continues and appeals proceed, key questions remain unanswered publicly: what exactly is being built under the ballroom footprint, whether older bunker space was removed or replaced, and how much Congress must authorize before construction can definitively proceed. The court has signaled the need for legislative approval before the project can be completed, but it also acknowledged the government’s claim that some work is necessary for ongoing safety and security.
For now, the clash over the ballroom has done more than spotlight disagreements about preservation and costs; it has pulled back the curtain slightly on a little-seen layer of White House infrastructure, prompting renewed scrutiny of how and when the nation’s leaders fortify their official residence and workplace.