Building repair and reconstruction

Several unidentified workmen carefully hoist the F. G. Coates portrait of President Woodrow Wilson into position over the mantel in the Red Room.

A massive new 36" concrete sewer line is laid through the new concrete foundation wall. While one workman prepares to send excavated dirt out on a cart through one section of the sewer line, another workman prepares a new section for installation into the excavated area by means of hydraulic jacks, July 6, 1950.

Southeast view from the Lobby showing progress in removing the interior walls and excavation below basement in eastern part of the building.

View from Bedroom No. 13 to the southeast corner of the White House. The arch of the main stairway and wooden joist of the second floor corridor are seen on the right of the photograph.

Central window of the north wall of the East Room, showing installation for a supporting steel beam running north and south through the East Room. The beam prevented the exterior walls from bulging during renovation work.

Two unidentified men stand 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.

Close up of the "Buffalo Mantel" and portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the State Dining Room, as they appeared in February 1948. The mantel, installed originally in 1902, was removed during the renovation of 1949-1952, because the architects believed it was not in keeping with the original design of the White House. The Buffalo Mantel is now in the collection of the Harry S. Truman Library. From an album of Abbie Rowe photographs of the White House, prior to the 1949 renovation.

View to the northeast showing the newly renovated main entrance hall of the White House.

Photo of the Red Room, from an album of photographs by Abbie Rowe of the White House prior to the 1949 renovation.

Dwarfed by the massive steel beams and supporting structures, a worker inspects the new elevator well in the sub-basement of the White House.