<P> In 1909, William Howard Taft expanded the building southward, covering the tennis court . He placed the first Oval Office at the center of the addition's south facade, reminiscent of the oval rooms on the three floors of the White House . Later, at the outset of his presidency, Herbert Hoover rebuilt the West Wing, excavating a partial basement, and supporting it with structural steel . The completed building however lasted less than seven months . On December 24, 1929, the West Wing was significantly damaged by an electrical fire . Hoover rebuilt it, and added air - conditioning . </P> <P> The fourth and final major reorganization was undertaken less than three years later by Franklin D. Roosevelt . Dissatisfied with the size and layout of President Hoover's West Wing, he engaged New York architect Eric Gugler to redesign it in 1933 . To create additional space without increasing the apparent size of the building, Gugler excavated a full basement, added a set of subterranean offices under the adjacent lawn, and built an unobtrusive "penthouse" story . The directive to wring the most office space out of the existing building was responsible for its narrow corridors and cramped staff offices . Gugler's most notable change was the addition to the east side containing a new Cabinet Room, Secretary's Office, and Oval Office . The new office's location gave presidents greater privacy, allowing them to slip back and forth between the White House and the West Wing without being in full view of the staff . </P> <P> As the size of the president's staff grew over the latter half of the 20th century, the West Wing generally came to be seen as too small for its modern governmental functions . Today, most of the staff members of the Executive Office of the President are located in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building . </P> <Ul> <Li> <P> Original West Wing and tennis court, circa 1903 </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Expanded West Wing, circa 1910s . President Taft's 1909 expansion covered most of the tennis court . Note the "bow" of the first Oval Office . </P> </Li> <Li> <P> President Hoover views West Wing fire ruins, January 15, 1930 </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Modern West Wing under construction, circa 1933 </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Exterior of the modern Oval Office, completed 1934 </P> </Li> </Ul>

What does it mean to crash the west wing