Inside the White House

In the late 40's, the state capitol was in bad shape. The White House had to be  completely gutted and restored. Truman insisted that all construction vehicles  were taken apart and reconstructed to keep the exterior of the house enacted.  The New York Times reported:

The ceiling of the East Room, elaborately done in the frescoes of fruits and reclining women and weighing seventy pounds to the square foot, was found to be sagging six inches on Oct. 26, and now is being held in place by scaffolding and supports. ... But it took the $ 50,000 survey Authorized by Congress to disclose the fact That the grand marble staircase is in imminent danger. Supporting bricks, bought second hand in 1880, are disintegrating.

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