A timeline of White House renovations through the years

The United States’ most famous home appeared ripped apart on Monday when dramatic images emerged showing White House renovations well underway. As part of President Trump’s plans to add a ballroom to the historic property, the East Wing has been partially dismantled to make room for the new space. While it is one of the most significant changes to the property in decades – the last major renovation occurred between 1948 and 1952 – it is by no means the first set of changes to the storied property.

From simple wallpaper and upholstery swaps to major interior transformations, White House renovations have long been a presidential tradition at the start of a term. The designers chosen to re-envision those spaces, the scope of the changes, and which specific furnishings, fabrics, and finishes are sourced are opportunities to make a public statement. After all, politics are played out, significant announcements are made, and press conferences are hosted within the rooms, gardens, and offices of this famous home. Further, each glimpse of the private living spaces gleans more intimate information about the president’s personality, taste, and lifestyle. Here, we chronicle major renovations to the White House through the years.

An early elevation drawing of the original White House, by James Hoban

Photo: via Wikimedia

Helmed by George Washington himself, the process for building a home for the young nation’s leader began with a design competition. The president’s favourite submission came from Irish-born architect James Hoban, whose work Washington had admired in Charleston’s County Courthouse. Construction on the classically inspired structure began in 1792 and finished in 1800, just in time for the country’s second president, John Adams, to call it home.

A drawing of the White House and its grounds, circa 1850

Photo: Getty Images

The original White House had a short life – only 14 years, to be exact. During the war of 1812, British soldiers set fire to the house (and a number of other government buildings) in what is now described as the Burning of Washington, forcing then president James Madison into a temporary residence elsewhere in the city. Hoban would oversee the reconstruction, which was completed in 1817. Working with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Hoban would later add the now famous South and North Porticos in 1824 and 1829, respectively.

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The fascinating history of the White House's interiors

The Tiffany screen separated the Entrance Hall from the Cross Hall.

Photo: Frances Benjamin Johnston, courtesy of the White House Historical Association

Chester Arthur, the 21st president and successor to the assassinated James Garfield, set out to add a staunchly Victorian flair to the White House after he took office. His contributions included a giant Louis Comfort Tiffany screen and gilded tracery throughout, all the while putting a great deal of the home’s existing furnishings up for public auction.

President Roosevelt and his cabinet in the Oval Office

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Two decades later, Theodore Roosevelt enlisted the help of architectural firm McKim, Mead and White to oversee a much needed expansion of the presidential home, which would include the addition of the West Wing. The classically leaning design team also removed Arthur’s Victorian additions. According to the White House Historical Association, Roosevelt’s remodel transformed the home ‘from a crazy quilt of alterations over time into a cohesive statement of modern times’.

Under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an East Wing would be added with the primary mission of concealing an underground bunker now known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Since then, the East Wing has generally served as office space for the first lady and her staff.

The White House renovation under Truman

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Under the Truman administration, it became clear that the White House was in need of a serious structural rehab. ‘Early in 1948, in response to the President Truman’s concerns, engineers confirmed that the White House was structurally weak and in danger of collapse…. Some said the White House was standing only from the force of habit,’ the White House Historical Association explains on its website. It was evident that a total reconstruction of the interior was necessary, and over a four-year effort, the interior was dismantled and meticulously put back together. Notably, this would displace the president and his family to nearby Blair House until 1952. ‘The White House we know today is largely due to the renovation led by Truman,’ the Historical Association notes.

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a CBS News correspondent a tour of the newly redecorated White House in January 1962.

Photo: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images

If Truman saved the home’s structural integrity, then the Kennedys saved its historical integrity. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy, along with the help of Sister Parish, Henry du Pont, and Stéphane Boudin, famously redecorated the White House with historic art and artefacts sourced from museum collections and prominent American families. Her goal was to use the residence to showcase American presidential history, saying, ‘Everything in the White House must have a reason for being there. It would be sacrilege merely to “redecorate” it – a word I hate. It must be restored, and that has nothing to do with decoration. That is a question of scholarship.’ The public was treated to a tour of the revamped house in a now iconic televised special, which earned the first lady an honorary Emmy.

In many ways ahead of its time, the Carter administration installed the White House’s very first computer as well as a set of water-heating solar panels. The panels were removed by the Reagan administration and later reinstalled under George W Bush.

The Obama Oval Office

Photo: Bloomberg / Getty Images

In a headline nothing short of brilliant, The New York Times chronicled the Obama redesign of the Oval Office, which was overseen by AD100 designer Michael S. Smith and included a mix of historic and contemporary design elements. The redesigned received mixed reviews, with some critics deeming the space too understated.

The Oval Office in 2017 during Trump’s first term

The Washington Post/Getty Images

After allegedly declaring the White House ‘a dump’ – the words were refuted by a White House spokesperson – Donald Trump left 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a 17-day working vacation while a $3.4 million overhaul to the Oval Office, HVAC and IT systems, West Wing lobby, and South Portico steps was completed. In the former, the renovation included new furniture, wallpaper, and carpeting, as well as gold-hued upholstery.

The Rose Garden at the White House shortly after being paved over

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Completed in 1962 during the Kennedy administration and well-known as the location of many press conferences, the Rose Garden outside the West Wing, designed by Rachel ‘Bunny’ Lambert Mellon, recently lost its central lawn to a stone paver makeover. According to The New York Times, Trump wanted the area to ‘resemble a patio like the one he has at Mar-a-Lago,’ his personal retreat in Palm Beach, Florida.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows a rendering of the proposed ballroom at a briefing.

The Washington Post/Getty Images

Other planned updates include a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Trump tapped classicist architect James McCrery II to create the new ballroom at the site of the current East Wing. Renovations began in late October, which required demolishing parts of the building that currently house the ‘first lady’s office and dozens of other workspaces’, according to CBS. According to Trump, this demolition work is part of an overall modernisation of the wing.

The ‘ornate’ Gilded Age design of this addition will expand seating capacity to 999 guests – it was originally planned for 650 – and renderings show coffered ceilings, Corinthian columns, chandeliers, and a myriad of gold leaf details, Trump’s preferred decorating style.

Images showed the renovation work underway on the new ballroom.

Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Many architectural historians and other industry professionals have expressed concerns over the changes. In a statement shared on October 16, the Society of Architectural Historians shared, ‘While we recognise that the White House is a building with evolving needs, and that it has undergone various exterior and interior modifications since construction began in 1792, the proposed ballroom will be the first major change to its exterior appearance in the last 83 years (since the East Wing in its current form was built in 1942). Therefore, such a significant change to a historic building of this import should follow a rigorous and deliberate design and review process.’

Similarly, the American Institute of Architects released a list of formal recommendations for the project based on its Framework for Design Excellence, “which links design decisions to measurable outcomes for preservation, building performance, occupant health and safety, and long-term stewardship.”