A workman carefully removes layers of paint from the White House walls. Since 1952, attempts to provide a sense of past history of the President’s House and new research have resulted in decorative interior changes but no substantive architectural work. The preservation of the historic house and its contents has received high priority. Beginning in 1978, a study was begun to assess problems with the exterior paint. Successive layers–in some areas as many as 40–have been removed from each of the exterior walls. Following the removal of the paint, masons began repairing stone which had deteriorated over time.