This exhibition focuses on the story of the Truman renovation of the White House between 1948 and 1952. The show briefly examines the history of the President’s House before moving on to the Truman’s first couple of years there when evidence of the structure’s weakness caused the family to joke about the ghosts of former Presidents wandering the halls. Harry Truman had always been fascinated with architecture, and he found himself in the center of controversy over two proposed modifications to the White House in 1946 and 1947. But when engineers confirmed that the White House was literally falling down, he oversaw the most dramatic rebuilding of the People’s House since it was burned by the British in 1814. In effect, the interior of the building was carved out like a pumpkin and rebuilt and expanded on a new steel framework. The symbol that emerged was both familiar and new, a more functional home that was built to last for generations.
The exhibit will also tell personal stories of key players: Lorenzo Winslow, the White House architect who drove the project; John McShain, the general contractor who bid low and nearly worked himself to death over the project; Ernest Howard, the consulting engineer and founder of Kansas City’s HNTB Corporation, whose expertise in engineering bridges was critical to designing the interior steel structure; Abbie Rowe, the National Park Service photographer who captured the progress of the renovation in hundreds of detailed photographs; the craftsmen who created interior details, and the unskilled workers who removed debris and dug new basements.
Although we provide the utmost luxury at Domain City Center Apartments in Lenexa, Kansas, we realize that you need to get out and socialize with those in your surrounding community. This event gives you the chance to do just that! Don’t hesitate to attend today!
Event Time/Date:
Saturday, May 27, 2017 – 9:00 AM
Event Venue Location:
Harry S Truman Library and Museum
500 West US Highway 24
Independence, Missouri 64050