A Modern House for the President

Gallery

1 of 6

Carpenters lay the quartered white oak flooring in a herringbone pattern in the State Dining Room on January 23, 1952.
Harry S. Truman Library Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
2 of 6

Two men stand precariously in what remains of the Second Floor Oval Study above the Blue Room. The north wall and part of the floor have been removed for the installation of steel shoring columns on March 9, 1950.
Harry S. Truman Library Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
3 of 6

Employees of B. Altman Co. of New York install a blue and gold damask wall covering in the Blue Room on March 14, 1952.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
4 of 6

The Blue Room as it appeared after the renovation on October 13, 1952.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
5 of 6

Employees of O.R. Evans Company install the refinished silver plated chandelier in the State Dining Room on March 18, 1952.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA/National Park Service
6 of 6

The State Dining Room was the only room in the White House where most the original woodwork was saved and reinstalled during the renovation. This photograph from December 8, 1952, shows the previously dark oak paneling repainted a light green color.
National Archives and Records Administration

About this Gallery

By the summer of 1951 most interior partitions were complete. Service areas were modern and functional, bearing no visible similarity to their historical counterparts. Public spaces and family quarters were generally rebuilt to resemble the original rooms. Work proceeded at a rapid pace six days a week. In February 1952, furniture began arriving as workers finished sanding floors, painting walls, and installing tile.