In 1945, Truman found the White House structurally unsound and convinced Congress to finance a rebuild of the interior while keeping the brick exterior. Margaret Truman’s piano leg broke through the floor due to weakened wooden beams and sagging plaster. Truman and his wife moved to Blair House during the rebuild.
When Harry S. Truman assumed the presidency of the United States in 1945, the White House was falling apart. The main body of the building was found to be structurally unsound and in danger of collapse. Some said the building should be torn down and rebuilt. But Truman persuaded Congress to finance a total rebuild of the White House from the inside, leaving only the brick exterior walls. The interior was stripped down and some features, such as the mantelpieces, were saved. Eventually, it was entirely rebuilt using the same master plan used during the presidency of James Madison in 1814.
Extreme Makeover on Pennsylvania Avenue:
A leg of Margaret Truman’s piano broke through the floor in what is now the private dining room. Engineers found that the plaster in the corner of the East Room sagged up to 18 inches (46 cm).
The wooden beams of the structure had been weakened by cutting and drilling for the installation of plumbing and wiring. The addition of a third story and steel roof in 1927 added weight the building could not handle.
While the White House was being rebuilt, Harry and Bess Truman moved into the Blair House across Pennsylvania Avenue.
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