This Gothic building has stood in the capital city of Washington, D.C. for more than 200 years. As a symbol of American political power, it has been devastated by war several times and was once on the verge of being demolished. However, after repeated repairs and reconstructions, the White House has been renovated and renovated. However, this renovation is not a simple tinkering, but a tear-down of the entire building from the foundation to the top floor. Interestingly, the construction was carried out according to the standards for building blockhouses, and it seems that the architects of the time were wary of the future. Did they foresee something? What kind of test will the United States face in 500 years? Makes it necessary to build the presidential residence so strongly? Let's step into history and explore the reasons behind this major surgery.
The crisis of the collapse of the old White House
Compared with today's magnificent White House, the White House in the early years can be described as dilapidated. The building, which is more than 200 years old, is crumbling after being ravaged by war and repeatedly overhauled.
Let's start with the "Burning of Washington" in 1814. That year coincided with another exchange of fire between the United States and Britain. In retaliation for the U.S. invasion of Canada, the British army sent troops to destroy Washington. The White House was also devastated, burned to the ground by a fire. Although it was later rebuilt, the quality of the project was worrying.
In order to free up more space and lay pipelines, construction workers wantonly chiseled through load-bearing walls. To make matters worse, they used a lot of flammable wood and fluffy flocculent fabrics for upholstery, which laid the foundation for the fires that followed.
Sure enough, in the late 19th century, there were multiple fires in the White House. In 1864, a fire destroyed the northwest corner of the White House. In 1867, the president's private living room burned again. Despite the urgent repairs every time, it simply did not solve the problem of the obsolescence of the White House.
In the 20th century, the White House's situation worsened. In 1902, a large number of load-bearing walls were destroyed to install a new piping system. By the time of the Truman administration, the White House was in danger. At one point, Mrs. Truman's living room floor suddenly collapsed, and a piano fell from the second floor to the first-floor dining room. The bathtub in Truman's own bathroom also sank into the floor at any moment. Eventually, the Truman family had to be evacuated and temporarily moved into the Blair Building, across the street from the White House.
In 1948, Truman began his re-election career. However, at this time, the White House was already dying and could collapse at any time. Even government officials believe it is no longer fit to be the president's official residence. So, a major operation finally kicked off.
The decision to rebuild was the result of difficult negotiations
Faced with a precarious White House, the Truman administration finally decided in 1948 to completely rebuild it. However, the process of coming to this resolution can be described as quite difficult.
Initially, two reconstruction options were considered. One is to completely dismantle the White House and reassemble the exterior stone blocks after numbering them, so as to maintain the original appearance in appearance. The other is to keep the exterior wall and tear down the interior to rebuild.
There are pros and cons to both options. Although the former can maintain the appearance of the White House, the project is huge, and the appearance will inevitably change slightly. The latter is less costly, but it will completely change the internal structure of the White House.
As the debate stalled, a voice broke the deadlock – representatives of the US Army's engineering department joined in the discussion and put forward a brutal scenario: a nuclear war could break out in the future, and the White House could be directly attacked. Therefore, the new White House must be strong enough to withstand a military attack.
The idea came as a shock to the participants, but it also reminded them of the significance of the White House reconstruction. Eventually, the plan to retain the façade was approved, and an additional underground bunker was added to prevent a nuclear explosion.
Subsequently, the committee in charge of reconstruction began to work on the detailed design. First, they brought in a geological survey team to use the latest sounding equipment to gain insight into the White House's subsurface conditions. After discovering the presence of large caves and fissures underneath, they decided to reinforce the entire foundation.
Next, engineers used radar to scan the inside of the White House walls to pinpoint the location of the load-bearing walls. Workers were arranged to reinforce these areas, and all other non-load-bearing parts were demolished to reduce the weight burden on the White House.
The biggest challenge was how to design the underground bunkers. The committee consulted with the military and eventually positioned it in a no-man's land with separate electricity, water and ventilation systems. Activity areas, bedrooms, and storage rooms were also planned inside the bunker in case of a prolonged siege.
At the same time, the scheme of ground construction is gradually maturing. The committee decided to use a reinforced concrete structure and drive hundreds of deep boreholes into the foundation to ensure that the White House would be impregnable when it was rebuilt.
In this way, a plan to completely tear down the old White House and rebuild it was finally decided after difficult deliberations by all parties. The new White House will be built to the most advanced defense standards of the time to defend against the threat of war that may come in the future.
Reconstruction work began in a big way
In December 1949, after nearly a year of preparation, the reconstruction of the White House officially began. As the largest construction project in the United States since World War II, it brought together a large number of elites and was innovative for its time.
The first is the construction of the foundation part. In order to grasp the actual situation underground, the engineering team specially rented a mobile ray detector to conduct all-round perspective imaging of the soil within hundreds of meters below the White House. After discovering that it had once been a lake, they decided to reinforce the entire foundation to a gravel layer.
Then there was one of the first things in the construction process – the engineers introduced robotic construction. This was quite a progressive approach at the time. Workers control remote controls and direct dozens of large and small robots to carry out some high-altitude work and dangerous processes, such as high-rise hoisting, cutting and welding, etc., which greatly improves efficiency.
Another unique feature is that for the first time in the reconstruction of the White House, radar perspective technology has been used. During construction, the engineers repeatedly scanned the interior of the existing walls to find out the layout of the rebar and pipelines to avoid mistakes.
The most noteworthy thing is the details of the entire construction site being cordoned off. In order to prevent enemy infiltration and smuggling to steal information, the engineering command had to take precautionary measures and implement "air traffic control" on the construction site, with drones hovering and monitoring 24 hours a day, and only allowing access to personnel with special permits.
At the same time, the scale of the project is also expanding. The initial projected construction period was two years, but it was later extended to three years as plans for the construction of underground bunkers were added, and the budget soared from $5.42 million to $6.28 million.
To add insult to injury, many of the government buildings adjacent to the White House had to be relocated or demolished to make room for the site. For example, the stables and greenhouses on the west side of the White House were demolished and the horses had to be repatriated.
Despite the difficulties encountered by the reconstruction project, with the full support of the Truman administration, the process was finally carried out little by little. Workers worked overtime day and night, racing against time to construct. Gradually, a new White House was taking shape. Many people who witnessed this scene back then were in awe of this project.
The People's Daily even commented: "The efforts made by the White House to rebuild are truly unparalleled and unprecedented!" The new White House is bound to become an impregnable strategic fortress until the last American leaves the planet! ＂
Hidden clues that are well thought out by the architect
Towards the end of the reconstruction project, some details have attracted widespread attention and speculation. From the design concept of the new White House to the details of its construction, there are some hidden clues and hints that the architects have carefully considered.
The first to be discovered was the peculiar layout of the White House's underground bunkers. Built under the lawn in the northwest corner of the White House, the 1,600-square-meter bunker features bedrooms, meeting rooms, storage rooms and more. But beyond that, it has a circular atrium shaped like some kind of ancient symbol. All of a sudden, speculation swirled, some said it was a sign of some mysterious group, others thought it was a hint of a future crisis.
At the same time, the rebuilt main entrance of the White House has also been criticized and suspicious. The original simple lintel was engraved with a row of seemingly random, but in fact hidden mysteries. Studies have shown that the order and position of these symbols correspond to the solution of a complex puzzle. It is also suspected that they are some kind of code that is used to activate a hidden device in an underground bunker.
Even more puzzling are some of the new fortifications. For example, the president's bedroom has a simple launcher that can fire infrared missiles at the push of a button. At the same time, numerous new narrow trenches were dug around the White House, which could only be used when the defense was surrounded by infantry.
The most mysterious part, however, is the décor on the top floor of the White House. There are a lot of metaphors and hints hidden there, which directly indicate the political struggles and contradictions of the time. For example, a decorative mural depicts two giant goats wrestling with each other in the clouds. And the round table in the center of the reception hall has a strange circuit inlaid on the edge, which can also rotate slowly.
However, the icing on the cake of all this is the mysterious device at the back door of the White House. Although it was just an ordinary door, it opened punctually every night and emitted inexplicable white smoke and quietly hid it. CIA officials have denied any knowledge, and the origin and significance of this phenomenon remain a mystery to this day.
As for these clues hidden in the reconstruction of the White House, there are different opinions so far, and there is no consensus. Some believe that they imply some kind of grand conspiracy or prophecy, while others dismiss them as nonsense or mere artistic decoration. In any case, these mysteries and myths make the new White House seem even more mysterious and desirable.
The inauguration of the new White House has sparked controversy
After nearly three years of arduous construction, in March 1952, the new White House was re-unveiled to the world. However, the presidential residence, built to fortified standards, has been widely disputed and questioned from the beginning.
The first is that its sheer size has been criticized. Compared to the previous White House, the rebuilt version is a full third larger, and the interior space has increased by 50 percent. Among them, the underground bunker alone covers an area of 1,600 square meters. In the face of public opinion's doubts, relevant White House officials defended that this was done to meet the needs of a possible war, and the underground bunker could provide long-term refuge for thousands of people.
What is even more criticized is that its majestic and sturdy appearance gives people a deep sense of oppression. The White House, which is built entirely of reinforced concrete, has a 3-meter-thick façade and is full of gunholes and turrets. Some architectural critics have dismissed it as "simply a castle".
On the other hand, there is a level of luxury that does not fit in with the interior. The interior walls of the White House are inlaid with marble and gold decorations, and the ceiling is painted with ornate frescoes, which is contrary to its overall austere style. Some critics have even ridiculed that the inside of this "fortress" is "like a palace."
In addition to the controversy over the appearance, some of the hidden devices inside the White House have also attracted a lot of suspicion and speculation. For example, the president's bedroom is equipped with a field mortar, and the underground bunker contains many equipment and mechanisms of unknown purpose.
What's more, there are also people who accuse the whole project of some kind of conspiracy and conspiracy. They claim that the new White House is actually full of the marks of some mysterious organization, hiding secrets that no one knows. For example, the circular turntable table on the top floor is actually a prop for an evil ritual.
However, the biggest point of contention is the huge cost of the project. Although only $5.42 million was originally budgeted, the final cost was as high as $21.88 million, more than four times the original plan. At one time, Congress complained about this, and thought that the funds were probably misappropriated elsewhere.
In the face of various doubts, the head of the White House reconstruction project said that the whole process was strictly supervised and there were no illegal operations. However, this still cannot calm the suspicion and criticism of public opinion. After all, a seemingly impregnable White House that costs tens of millions of dollars does make the outside world suspicious and speculative.