November 7, 1948: The Reconstruction of the White House Begins

Extreme Makeover: White House Edition

November 7, 1948: The Reconstruction of the White House begins. Just 5 days earlier, President Harry Truman, having called the building "the Great White Jail," and "the crown jewel of the federal penal system," was elected to what amounted to a 2nd term. As it turns out, he, First Lady Elizabeth "Bess" Truman, and their only child, Margaret Truman, then 24 years old, would have to spend most of that term across Pennsylvania Avenue, at Blair House.

The White House was completed in 1800. It had been largely reconstructed after the British Army burned it in 1814, as part of the War of 1812. While there had been additions, such as parts of what is now called the West Wing from 1902 to 1934, and the East Wing from 1902 to 1942, the original building hadn't had a significant renovation since James Monroe moved in shortly after his 1817 Inauguration.

In June 1948, a leg of Margaret's piano crashed through the floor in her second floor sitting room and through the ceiling of the Family Dining Room below. Investigators found the floor boards had rotted, the main floor beam was split completely through, and the ceiling below had dropped 18 inches. The investigators determined that the west end of the second floor was sinking.

The First Family was relocated from the west to the east end of the floor. Steel bracing was added to support the second floor and ceilings throughout the residence. The investigation concluded that the problem was a collapsing building, not just a floor, and "heroic remedies" would be required.

But 1948 was an election year, and the President feared that news of the collapsing White House would serve as an unflattering metaphor for his Administration. On September 30, 1948, the White House Architect announced that the White House's "structural nerves" had been damaged, the second floor would need to be rebuilt, but that overall the building was in "good shape."

The on-site forensic investigations continued while the first family was away campaigning. In October, the ceiling of the East Room began to collapse and required wood supports. The structure under the Grand Staircase was found to be crumbling. The President's bathtub had begun sinking into the floor. The investigators discovered that the foundations of the interior walls supporting the upper floors and roof were all but non-existent.

As they sank into the ground, the interior walls and floors were pulling away from the exterior walls leaving large gaps. They determined that the interior of the house was sinking and in danger of collapsing inward; the entire mansion was unsafe, except for the new Truman Balcony.

Upon returning to the White House on November 3, the day after winning the election, the President was informed by the Federal Works Agency that he would need to vacate the White House so critical repairs could be made. On November 7, the news was made public. The Trumans departed town, and, within 2 weeks, the White House was vacated. Furniture, staff, and the first family moved into Blair House, the President's guest house, across Pennsylvania Avenue.

The exterior walls were left standing, but the interior was completely gutted, including the expanding of the third floor. As a result, the floor plan was noticeably changed. The second floor room known as the Lincoln Bedroom became a bedroom, but it was an office in Abraham Lincoln's time: Ol' Abe never slept in the "Lincoln Bedroom." Unless he fell asleep at his desk, something more likely to have been done by Calvin Coolidge, Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump.

The original schedule called for the work to be finished in late 1951. By the end of 1950, the contractor estimated it would take until 1952. The First Family returned to the White House on the evening of March 27, 1952. It was ready for its residents, but the work was not complete. Deficiencies included the main kitchen not being operable in time for a state visit; some rooms without electrical outlets; drafty fireplaces rendering rooms unfit to sleep in; and kitchen sinks found to be too small for the dinner service.

On May 3, 1952, Truman led a tour of the restored White House, broadcast on all 3 TV networks, with each network having sent a correspondent.

For some people, the work still wasn't enough. In spite of her French background, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy disliked the European decor, and wanted the White House redecorated with American items, including as much furniture used by former Presidents as could be found. Some historical sites relating to Presidents were willing to donate, and on February 14, 1962, she was ready to lead a nationally-televised tour of the White House. While praising President Truman for the restoration and the donors for their efforts, she deflected whatever credit she and President John F. Kennedy, who joined the tour at the end, might have deserved.

Since 1952, the White House has needed regular maintenance, but no additional major renovations have been necessary.

UPDATE: In 2025, Donald Trump had the East Wing demolished to make way for a ballroom that only he seemed to think was necessary.

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November 7, 1948 was a Sunday. John Albert "Buck" Martinez, catcher, manager, and broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, was born. And, unlike most people with the surname, he pronounces it "MAR-tin-ez," instead of the usual "Mar-TEE-nez."

Baseball was out of season. These games were played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 35-14 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Boston Yanks, 23-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. Yes, "Boston Yanks." Yes, playing home games at Fenway, though when there was a scheduling conflict with the Red Sox, they moved a mile away to Braves Field.

The team was owned by Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith. To be fair, the term "Yankee" was applied to New Englanders before New Yorkers, and Collins named the team the Yanks because he wanted to put them in Yankee Stadium, but Dan Topping owned the rights to a football team named the New York Yankees (which had been used before, and put such a team in the All-America Football Conference. The team played from 1944 to 1948.

In 1949, Collins did move them to New York, but called them the New York Bulldogs. In 1951, with Topping having bought into the baseball Yankees, Collins renamed his team the New York Yanks, but they failed. He moved them again in 1952, and they became the Dallas Texans. They failed, and he sold the team -- and the rights to the Dayton Triangles, who had long ago left the NFL and gone semi-pro before Collins bought them -- and the new owners moved them, making them the Baltimore Colts. So today's NFL Indianapolis Colts have roots in New York, Boston, Baltimore and Dayton.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers, 38-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Chicago Cardinals beat the Detroit Lions, 56-20 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Cards were the defending NFL Champions, and they were even better this year, though the Eagles reversed the result of the 1947 Championship Game and beat the Cards in it.

* And the Chicago Bears beat the Los Angeles Rams, 21-6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In the aforementioned AAFC:

* The aforementioned New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dons, 38-6 at Yankee Stadium.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers (yes, there was a football team by that name, too) lost to the Buffalo Bills (not the later AFL and current NFL team by that name), 26-21 at Ebbets Field.

* The Cleveland Browns beat the Baltimore Colts (the original version), 28-7 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* And the San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Rockets, 44-21 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

There was one game in college football, and it was an upset: Santa Clara University beat Number 11 Nevada, 14-0 on neutral ground at Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. In 1973, Santa Clara, named for its base city outside San Jose, were downgraded to NCAA Division II, and have remained there ever since.

There were 2 games in the Basketball Association of America, the league that became the NBA the next season. The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 85-77 at the Boston Arena (now the Matthews Arena). And the Baltimore Bullets beat the Fort Wayne Pistons, 78-77 at the gymnasium of North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's right: The early NBA was so small-time, one of its teams played in a high school gym.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The New York Rangers lost to the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-2 at the Chicago Stadium. And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 7-3 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs were not scheduled.