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Has the White House ever been renovated or changed?

In August of 1814, the White House had to be rebuilt after its destruction during the War of 1812 and its rebuilding was completed in 1817.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt conducted a major renovation of the White House. A new elevator was installed, electric lights fully replaced gaslights, the East Terrace was rebuilt and the western staircase was removed to enlarge the State Dining Room. This renovation also saw the erection of the “temporary” executive office building that would later become the West Wing.

President Harry S. Truman also had the White House renovated between 1948 and 1952. The White House interior was gutted in an extensive renovation. The original exterior walls remained standing while the interiors were removed and reinstalled within a skeleton of steel structural beams on a new concrete foundation.

Additionally, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had an indoor swimming pool built in 1933 and President Gerald Ford had an outdoor pool built in 1975. There was also a tennis court built during 1902, but this was moved further south during the Taft renovation of the West Wing. The present tennis court on the South Lawn was modified during President Barack Obama’s time in office to allow for both tennis and basketball.

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