National Archives releases photos of the White House reconstruction during the Truman administration

[progressoid]

The U.S. National Archives has been publishing photographs showing the gutted White House to its Flickr photostream.
All the photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/

Decades of poor maintenance, the construction of a fourth story attic during the Coolidge administration, and the addition of a second-floor balcony over the south portico for Harry S. Truman[38] took a great toll on the brick and sandstone structure built around a timber frame.[13] By 1948, the house was declared to be in imminent danger of collapse, forcing President Truman to commission a reconstruction and move across the street to Blair House from 1949 to 1951.[39]

The work, done by the firm of Philadelphia contractor John McShain, required the complete dismantling of the interior spaces, construction of a new load-bearing internal steel frame and the reconstruction of the original rooms within the new structure.[38] The total cost of the renovations was about $5.7 million.[40] Some modifications to the floor plan were made, the largest being the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Cross Hall.[38] Central air conditioning was added, as well as two additional sub-basements providing space for workrooms, storage, and a bomb shelter.[13]

The Trumans moved back into the White House on March 27, 1952.[13] While the house's structure was kept intact by the Truman reconstruction, much of the new interior finishes were generic, and of little historic value. Much of the original plasterwork, some dating back to the 1814–1816 rebuilding, was too damaged to reinstall, as was the original robust Beaux Arts paneling in the East Room. President Truman had the original timber frame sawn into paneling; the walls of the Vermeil Room, Library, China Room, and Map Room on the ground floor of the main residence were paneled in wood from the timbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House#The_Truman_reconstruction

Removing Debris from the Renovation of the White House, 02/27/1950



Renovation Work on the White House, ca. 1950



White House Main Stairway, 02/23/1950



White House Lobby During the Renovation, 12/27/1949



Workers inside Ductwork during the Renovation of the White House, 07/19/1951







Official Photographer of the White House Renovation, 03/03/1950

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I have been WAITING for hi-res pics of the reconstruction for YEARS!

NO shit. I love the History of the White House and have been looking for extensive, hi-res pics for years! You made my night!

I love how, as they were dismantling the interior, they found signs of the fire of 1814 - 135 years after that fire.

[progressoid]

2. Cool huh?

I hope more things like this are made more accessible to us.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. K&R! What incredible photographs!

Absolutely fascinating! Thanks so much for posting these!

[underpants]

4. Thanks for posting these

I saw them yesterday on yahoo but wasn't sure how to get them to DU

[cbdo2007]

5. Wow, that's pretty amazing. I wonder if they found any cool artifacts hidden

back behind the walls, like Lincoln's toothbrush or something?

I was doing some renovating in my house once and found some newspapers autographed by some local sports stars. They weren't superstars and the condition was pretty poor, but it's just interesting that 20 years earlier someone got these newspapers signed and hid them in the house.