[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

The White House has had maintenance issues over time. In 1948 a leg of Margaret Truman's piano crashed through the floor of her sitting room. (I doubt she pounded the ivories as vigorously as Meade Lux Lewis Mead Lux Lewis plays "Honky Tonk Train Blues" - YouTube or Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Steve Allen Show - 1957) - YouTube.) Turned out the whole place was about to cave in. They rebuilt the inside leaving the outside walls as original as possible. White House Reconstruction - Wikipedia

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson

That's interesting, also.
I guess they didn't use such great trusses in those days!

You could have put Little Richard in the killer of the keys in your batch, too.

Actually, at the time of the incident, there were two pianos in the room, a Steinway Baby Grand, and a roll around Spinet, alongside each other, with Margaret Truman playing one and a friend playing another. They were apparently pounding away on the keys when the floor gave away.

Regarding the strength of the trusses, it should be remembered that when the building was constructed there was no indoor electricity or plumbing. Over the decades plumbing was installed and modified, electrical wiring was installed, telephone lines were installed, and all of this work involved drilling holes through the trusses in a multitude of places. And, most telling of all, termites invaded the trusses.

I can recall hearing a radio program after the incident in which President Truman explained the need for major renovations to the White House. The program included playing recordings of the creaking of the beams that were made by attaching highly sensitive microphones to them.

Many people do not realize that the entire interior of the Mansion portion of the White House was removed, completely to the inside of the exterior walls, and rebuilt, with improved plumbing, electrical wiring, telephone wires, etc.

SIDELIGHT. It was during the renovation of the White House that the Trumans were living across the street at Blair House, and an assassination attempt was made on President Truman by two Puerto Rican Nationalists. During this incident, White House Police Officer Leslie Coffelt received a lethal gunshot wound from one of the attackers. Prior to dying, Officer Coffelt shot and killed his assailant as the attacker stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Blair House front door.