How presidents have changed the White House — and how Trump's ballroom is different

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Crews are demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for the construction of President Trump's $300 million, 90,000 square-foot ballroom, despite outcry from historical preservation groups and a lack of federal approval.

The Trump administration dismissed widespread criticism as "manufactured outrage" in a fact sheet released Tuesday, which outlines the various renovations that presidents have made to the property over the last century and suggests this one is no different.

"Unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump's visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House — a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence," the White House said.

The White House has undergone renovations both large and small since its creation in 1792. But this would be the biggest addition — in scope and size — since the 1940s, Priya Jain, the chair of the Society of Architectural Historians' Heritage Conservation Committee, told NPR.

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"In the list that was issued yesterday, if you look at it closely, all the changes after 1942 have been limited to the interior," Jain said.