Meanderer
Supreme Member
The whole building was gutted.When White House had to be completely gutted, 1949-1952
When President Truman moved into the executive mansion in 1945, they found the White House badly in need of repair after twelve years of neglect during the Depression and war. Floors groaned and creaked, winds blew in and out, strange sounds echoed in unusual corners. Why? Because it was on the brink of collapse. No overstatement.It remained standing, said the Commissioner of the Public Buildings Administration, only “by force of habit.” The foundations were descending into the earth, the walls were falling away from the superstructure, and the entire second floor was so dilapidated as to be a fire hazard.
Congress requested an inspection to get a formal opinion on how bad the damage was, and the report determined the White House was unsafe for the Truman family to live in, so temporarily they moved. To be able to resume living in the White House, they decided to gut the building, leaving only the stone walls, and rebuild everything.
Journalists invited to the first press briefing inside the newly gutted space tried to describe the view to their readers. One reported: “The White House looks like a vast barn slowly being filled with steel cobwebs”.
In December of 1948, President Truman moved to the Blair House across the street and so began a multi-year renovation that would cost $5.7 million USD.
The whole building was gutted.
President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess Truman returning to the White House. 1952.
White House State Dining Room. 1952.

