Incredible Photos Of The Gutted White House During Its 1950s Renovation

When President Harry Truman took office for his second term, the White House was falling apart.

The East Room floor was sagging 18 inches. The President's bathtub was sinking into the floor. And the structure could no longer support the third level and steel roof that were added in 1927.

So in 1948, the First Family was forced to vacate to the nearby Blair House — the official state guest house of the President — and the White House underwent a massive four-year renovation that cost approximately $5.7 million.

Photos of the renovation, taken by National Park Service photographer Abbie Rowe and made available by the U.S. National Archive illustrate how massive this undertaking really was.