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| | Truman Balcony - White House Museum |
 | | President Truman maintained that a balcony would help balance the south face of the White House by breaking up the long verticals of the columns, and provide shade for the first floor portico without the awnings commonly used at the time, which tended to become dirty. |
 | | In the end, Truman prevailed and there was general agreement that the new balcony, finished in 1948, was an improvement in both form and function. |
 | | However, closer examination of the rest of the White House soon led architects and structural engineers to determine that the whole house was unsound, and so the Truman reconstruction project of 1948-1952 began, which completely rebuilt the interior of the White House. |
| www.whitehousemuseum.org /floor2/truman-balcony.htm (342 words) |
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