Truman White House Renovations

Love these photos from Truman's renovation of the White House. For some reason I wasn't aware the White House was ever gutted. There were plans to tear down the whole building and start from scratch, but luckily congress decided to preserve the shell and remodel from the inside.

The decision to remodel was made when President Truman grew concerned after taken office in 1945, because he noticed drafts and creaking noises in the White House that were unsettling. But it wasn't until after he decided to add a balcony to the South Portico in 1948, that engineers found that the entire house was not structurally sound and construction was desperately needed. (Huffington Post)

Earliest known photograph of the White House, taken c. 1846