Gutted: When Harry Truman became president in 1945, he inherited a creaking White House that had not been seriously renovated since 1902, and structurally since it was rebuilt from a fire in 1817
This Old (White) House: Fascinating Black And White Photos Show The Truman-Era Reconstruction Of The White House After It Was Declared To Be In Danger Of Collapsing -- Daily Mail
Its history dates back to one of America’s founding fathers, when George Washington selected the location for the White House, and in the two centuries it’s been in existence, the People’s House has boarded every president save the Father of His Country.
But during the Great Depression and in the two world wars, the annual budget for repairing the White House was drastically cut and ideas of renovation pushed to the back burner, meaning that all but the most simple patch-ups were ignored.
During the Truman presidency, a near gut-renovation was deemed a necessity, after it was found that once-charming creaky wooden floors swayed when walked upon, the tubs were sinking into the floors below, and the building was in risk of collapsing.
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My Comment: These pics are so cool .... it definitely was a different time then.