The Story of Building (and Rebuilding) the White House
- dthholland
- Apr 14, 2017
- 5 min read
The White House project officially broke ground in 1792. When the first stones were laid, the United States was still finding its feet as a new republic. The site, chosen by President George Washington himself, sat on a modest parcel of land in the newly designated federal city of Washington, D.C. Overseen by architect James Hoban, the design drew inspiration from neoclassical styles fashionable in Europe at the time, with clear influences from Irish and Georgian architecture.
The build was slow and often under-resourced. Labour was a mix of European immigrants, free African Americans, and, controversially, enslaved people who were rented out by local slaveholders. Despite the ambitions behind the project, financial pressures and logistical challenges meant it took eight full years before the building was fit for habitation.
Early Residents: Adams and Jefferson Move In
President John Adams was the first to move into the White House in November 1800, just before losing re-election to Thomas Jefferson. Adams and his wife, Abigail, lived in a house that was still very much a work-in-progress—unplastered walls, empty rooms, and no running water.
When Thomas Jefferson took office, he moved into the White House from day one, but he quickly began making changes. Jefferson commissioned architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to add colonnades—those elegant sequences of columns that flank the sides of the White House. Though beautiful, they had a practical use: hiding the horse stables and storage areas that no grand householder, least of all a president, wanted guests to see.
The British Visit: The War of 1812
The White House’s early years were far from peaceful. In August 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces marched into Washington D.C. and set fire to many public buildings, including the White House. The attack was strategic rather than senseless destruction, although from today’s perspective, it seems shocking.
The interior was gutted. Exterior walls were charred and cracked but remained standing. Rebuilding efforts began almost immediately, again led by Hoban, but it would be 1817 before President James Monroe could finally move back into a restored White House.
Modernising the Mansion: Theodore Roosevelt’s 1902 Overhaul
By the start of the twentieth century, the White House was showing its age. Rooms were cluttered with Victorian furnishings, staff were squeezed into whatever corners could be found, and the general feeling was of a house straining to meet modern demands.
Enter Theodore Roosevelt. In 1902, Roosevelt launched a large-scale remodelling project, working with architect Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White. Out went the cluttered, heavy Victorian interiors; in came cleaner lines and more modern conveniences. Bathrooms were added, electric lighting replaced the old gaslights, and, importantly, the West Wing was created to house the growing presidential staff.
Despite these improvements, Roosevelt’s renovation largely focused on appearance rather than deep structural issues—a fact that would come back to haunt later occupants.
Leaks, Girders, and Growing Pains: The Coolidge Years
President Calvin Coolidge, who took office in the 1920s, found that the White House’s problems ran deeper than outdated decor. Water leaks plagued the upper floors, and structural surveys revealed worrying weaknesses.
Coolidge responded by having the entire roof removed and replaced. A third floor was added, supported by giant steel girders—a major engineering project that increased space but also placed additional stress on the ageing original walls and foundations. The building was starting to sag under its own weight.
FDR’s Indifference and the Slow Slide Toward Disaster
During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s long presidency, there was little appetite for another major renovation. Despite receiving a damning report from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 warning about the building’s deteriorating condition, Roosevelt chose to focus on the far more pressing issues of World War II.
Small patchwork repairs kept the White House operational, but no serious work was undertaken to address the underlying structural issues. The house was quietly falling apart behind its dignified facade.
The Breaking Point: Harry Truman Takes Charge
When Harry Truman assumed the presidency, he quickly became aware of the White House’s precarious state. Minor issues like sagging floors and creaking beams soon gave way to major concerns.
In 1946, First Lady Bess Truman noticed a massive chandelier swinging without reason. Soon after, more chandeliers in other rooms began swaying, hinting at widespread structural instability. Truman, with his usual dry wit, remarked on the danger of one day falling through the floor while taking a bath, clad only in his reading glasses.
The defining moment came in June 1948 when daughter Margaret Truman’s grand piano crashed through the second floor into the family dining room below. That incident made it abundantly clear: the White House was no longer safe to live in.
A Catalogue of Woes
By 1948, engineers documented a truly alarming list of problems:
Ceilings had dropped by as much as 18 inches in places.
The second floor needed a complete rebuild.
The structure beneath the grand staircase was crumbling.
The presidential bathtub was slowly sinking into the floor.
Foundations under the interior walls were either severely compromised or non-existent, causing the interior and exterior walls to pull away from each other.
Despite the urgency, 1948 was an election year, and political optics meant Truman stayed put until he secured re-election. Only then, in November, was he finally forced to move out.
Choices on the Table: Restore, Rebuild, or Replace?
Faced with a major decision, three options were considered:
Gut and rebuild the interior, preserving the original exterior walls.
Demolish the entire White House and construct a completely new executive mansion.
Carefully demolish and salvage the exterior walls, and rebuild both interior and exterior from scratch.
Ultimately, Congress chose the least drastic option: preserving the original shell while completely replacing everything inside. The budget was set at $5.4 million—equivalent to around $54 million today.
Rebuilding the White House: A Monumental Undertaking
The work required was staggering. It included:
Complete removal of the existing interior (except the third floor).
Salvaging and storing historic interior elements.
Excavating new basement levels.
Constructing new concrete foundations and a steel-framed structure.
Building new interior masonry walls finished with plaster and wood panelling.
Creating custom plaster mouldings.
Refurbishing and replacing windows.
Installing all-new plumbing, heating, ventilation, electrics, and communication systems.
Beyond that, they squeezed in a broadcast studio, barber shop, medical and dental clinics, carpentry and upholstery shops, and even a bowling alley.
The project was intended to last 660 days starting from 13 December 1949. One of the world’s most recognisable buildings would effectively be gutted and rebuilt under enormous time pressure, all while trying to preserve historic elements.
Challenges and Delays
Material shortages, caused by the ongoing Korean War, made construction even more difficult. Despite the team’s best efforts, the project ran six months over schedule and needed an extra $261,000 to complete. All things considered, it was still a remarkable achievement.
When Truman finally moved back in, he was proud—but not entirely impressed with the cost. He noted in his diary:
“With all the trouble and worry it is worth it—but not 5 1/2 million dollars! If I could have had charge of the construction it would have been done for half the money and in half the time!”
It was a classic Truman remark: practical, frugal, and tinged with just a little exasperation.
