Unique Photos of the 1950s White House Renovation Project

The 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, moved
into the White House in 1945. To his surprise and dismay,
the house had serious problems. Not only was it drafty
and creaky, it was downright unsafe.

Chandeliers in the house were observed swaying for no apparent reason, and floors moved underneath people’s feet when stepped on.

All of the above resulted in a structural investigation being conducted
on the building, revealing haphazard retrofitting, fire hazards and
a second floor that was on the verge of collapsing. What’s more is
that the White House’s foundations were sinking, walls were
peeling away and disused water and gas pipes were weighing
down the building and making it unsustainable.

The situation was so bad that, in June 1948, one of the legs of First Daughter Margaret Truman’s piano fell right through a floorboard
of her second-floor sitting room. This event, along with others,
made the Presidential family and its aides realize that serious
measures were required to save the historic building.
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