Construction crews continued the demolition of the East Wing of the White House on Thursday, Oct. 23. Photos captured the scene at the worksite.

The most sweeping intervention before Trump’s was the Truman Reconstruction of 1948–1952, a project so ambitious that only the White House’s iconic exterior walls were left standing. By 1948, decades of patchwork repairs, design flaws and war damage left the mansion structurally unsound, according to the White House Historical Association.

President Trump’s demolition of the East Wing has struck a nerve in Washington and beyond. It was breezy, bright and autumnal today in Washington — the perfect backdrop for a stroll to the White House to watch the swift demolition of the East Wing.

Trump has frequently played up his builder bona fides – and slammed others for their lack of expertise and for cost overruns on projects.