White House Reconstruction
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
I think it speaks to something about historic preservation as well - a lot of people who are into it just want something that looks nice on the outside. I’m glad they didn’t tear the whole thing down.
Same job would take a decade today.
Are we really more advanced nowadays?
President Truman publicly expressed praise for the completed work, but the night of his return to the White House he wrote in his private diary: "With all the trouble and worry it is worth it – but not 5½ million dollars! if I could have had charge of the construction it would have been done for half the money and in half the time!"