Watching History Turn to Rubble

When I first saw the photos of the demolition at the White House East Wing, I felt a physical ache, almost like watching a part of democracy itself being beaten with a massive piece of machinery. The White House is not just a building. It is a living record of the people and ideals that have passed through it. Seeing part of it torn down, despite assurances that it would remain intact, feels like losing something that belonged to all of us.

Many people felt the same way here locally when our county courthouse was demolished earlier this year. The Botetourt County Courthouse, though, was not the historic structure many seemed to think it was. It was a replica, built in 1975 after a 1970 fire destroyed the 1848 building. That 1970 fire was our version of watching a wrecking ball smash through the People’s House, the White House.

The county courthouse in 2018.

Tearing down the Botetourt County Courthouse

The Botetourt County Courthouse that recently fell had serious issues: black mold, poor construction, and cramped space. It was an imitation in many ways, more a copy of history than history itself.

When the county decided to rebuild, the process was deliberate. Phase 1 funding was approved in 2022, the project was carefully planned and phased, and records show that the public could have followed along if they had been paying attention. 

County officials met with Town of Fincastle officials and brought in local historians for meetings. It was a years-long process. And while they did not hold public hearings – legally, there was no need to do that – they did let the public know what was coming.

Additionally, the county made an attempt to salvage or preserve some elements of the historic aesthetic so the new courthouse would honor the past while serving today’s needs.

I understood the grief and frustration that many exhibited as the county courthouse came down, though. It was a beautiful building. It did seem a waste that it lasted no longer than 50 years. 

I also knew the courthouse replacement was a difficult but necessary decision.

The White House

Removing the East Wing of the White House feels different, and while I am seeing people on one side laugh at people on the other (the same people who were upset that the county courthouse was demolished see nothing wrong with tearing down the White House, it appears), what I don’t see is process.

This is what should have happened: there should have been an initial proposal that went through various channels, followed by an historic review, the planning and environmental oversight, an aesthetic review, and final authorization. None of that seems to have taken place.

The current administration decided, unilaterally, to remove historic elements and construct a $300 million (and rising) ballroom. There was no public consultation, no effort to preserve the original structure. It feels brazen and unnecessary, as if a piece of shared memory, a civic soul, has been erased for personal vision. As I watched part of the White House turn to rubble, I did not just mourn the building; I mourned the disregard for history itself.

The difference between these two experiences is clear. One was deliberate, a balance between practicality and preservation. The other is a stark reminder that even the most iconic structures can be treated as expendable when care and oversight are absent.

In the end, it is heartbreaking to see how carelessness can destroy in a day what reverence built over generations.

The East Wing removed. Photo from financialexpress.com