(The Hill) - Demolition of the White House's East Wing, itself a source of multiple controversies for over 200 years, was completed on Thursday.

Excavators were spotted starting Monday tearing it apart.

It was home to first lady Melania Trump's office, the offices of the White House social secretary and calligrapher, as well as the movie theater and the presidential bunker. It's now described as "the Late Great East Wing" on the White House website for Christmas tours.

The staff of those offices were relocated to other parts of the White House, CNN reported.

The demolition will set the stage for construction of a $300 million ballroom, "a bold, necessary addition" to the executive mansion, the Trump administration said in a statement issued Tuesday.

The East Wing's razing was met with

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