Major renovation projects that forever changed the White House
The White House, designed by James Hoban in Neoclassical style, its construction took place between 1792 and 1800. It has been the residence of every U.S, president since John Adams in 1800 and has gone through several transformations over the years.
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A fountain outside the newly constructed east wing of the White House around 1902.
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Teddy Roosevelt built a tennis court in 1902 near what is now called the West Wing, in the shadow of the office building that housed the State, War and Navy departments, according to the White House Historical Association.
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President Coolidge supervises the progress of the work being done on the White House, March 15, 1927.
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View of ongoing construction at the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 15, 1930. Scaffolding can be seen around the exterior of the west wing, with the Old Executive Office building visible in the background.
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A view of the south fac¸ade of the White House on May 10, 1950, during President Harry Truman’s renovation of the White House. Between 1948 and 1952, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed the White House more than the fire of 1814, according to the White House Historical Association. The executive mansion we know today is largely due to the renovation led by Truman.
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A view of the White House lobby, looking northeast from the main corridor, photographed during President Truman's White House reconstruction on Dec. 27, 1949.
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View of progress of the White House reconstruction in 1950. $5,000,000 was spent on the project.
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Two workmen dismantle a bathtub, in a northwest corner room on the second floor the White House, during President Truman's White House reconstruction, Washington, District of Columbia, Feb. 10, 1950.
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Photograph of construction equipment outside the White House during major renovation. Dated 1950.
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Several men pose amid partially demolished walls, rubble and steel girders in the lower corridor of the White House, photographed during President Truman's White House reconstruction on Feb. 14, 1950.
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High angle view, from the first-floor landing to the basement, of workmen removing Joliet stone steps from the main stairway, during President Truman's White House reconstruction on Feb. 23, 1950.
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Construction workers are seen reinforcing girders and temporary steel braces criss cross what was once several rooms in the mansion, July 1950.
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View of the northeast corner of the White House during renovation, Washington, DC, Nov. 6, 1950.
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Abbie Rowe sets up his equipment to document the progress of construction in the White House during President Harry Truman’s renovation on March 3, 1950.
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West view in the third floor corridor of the White House during renovation, Washington, DC, Dec. 4, 1951.
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Abbie Rowe's self-portrait in the mirror of a sparkling new White House bathroom on March 24, 1952, during President Harry Truman’s renovation on March 3, 1950.
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Photographer Abbie Rowe examines the new concrete underpinning for the exterior walls of the White House on March 21, 1950, during President Harry Truman’s renovation on March 3, 1950.
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Bowling lanes were first installed indoors in 1947 in the basement of the West Wing but were moved to the Old Executive Office Building in 1955, according to the White House Historical Association. In 1973, President Richard Nixon, an avid bowler, had a one-lane alley built in an underground workspace area below the driveway.
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Barack Obama, who arrived in 2009, adapted the tennis court to double for use for basketball, where he would play against aides such as his Education secretary, Arne Duncan, and other visitors. The White House had had a smaller basketball court since 1991 but the adapted court allowed a full-court game.
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A demolition crew takes apart the facade of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington on Oct. 21, 2025.
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A demolition crew takes apart the facade of the East Wing of the White House, where President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington on Oct. 21, 2025.
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U.S. Republican Senators and other guests sit at tables under umbrellas as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks while hosting a Rose Garden Club lunch, at the White House in Washington, DC on Oct. 21, 2025.
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Construction in the Rose Garden of the White House is seen after President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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