---
product_id: 1705505
title: "The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence Hardcover – October 22, 2013"
brand: "robert klara"
price: "€ 95.58"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/1705505-the-hidden-white-house-harry-truman-and-the-reconstruction-america
store_origin: GR
region: Greece
---

# The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence Hardcover – October 22, 2013

**Brand:** robert klara
**Price:** € 95.58
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence Hardcover – October 22, 2013 by robert klara
- **How much does it cost?** € 95.58 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/1705505-the-hidden-white-house-harry-truman-and-the-reconstruction-america)

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- robert klara enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Images

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A “renovation” that could only happen in the USA!
  

*by J***C on Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2022*

This book tells the unique story of the gut renovation/“restoration” of the crumbling White House in the middle of the 20th Century. How does one rebuild a structure that symbolizes democracy and do so using government contracts? This book walks you through just how it was done and the personalities it took to make it happen. I’ve always been fascinated by the details of Truman’s pet project and this book reveals so much about how it all transpired. Of particular use are the extensive notes that credit each source. I’ve got a list of those I’d now like to track down and explore for their own merit. It’s a bit terrifying to discover just how much dumb luck kept the building standing, and tragic to learn how much was lost in the process. It’s a unique snapshot into the practice of restoration in the middle of the 20th Century. A great read!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An exhaustively researched, briskly paced narrative about a historic project most Americans know nothing about
  

*by A***T on Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2016*

This would really be a 4.5 star review if Amazon allowed half stars.It's one of those little known facts about America's most famous residence: There have really been two White Houses; the one designed by James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800, and the one designed by President Truman (along with White House Architect Lorenzo Winslow and the Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion) that was built by John McShain between 1949 and 1952. The two structures really only share a general layout and the same four outer walls.This bit of historical trivia has always fascinated me, the construction of a modern building within a centuries-old facade, and I had been eager for a while to learn more about it.Robert Klara weaves his exhaustive research into a peppy narrative that moves along at brisk, engaging pace. He does a terrific job of exploring the scope of the problem and is quite successful at capturing the distinct voices and personalities of the various players involved in solving it. In addition to learning a lot about the White House, I learned a lot about Truman the president and Truman the man. Klara is not awestruck by his subject matter, and his book is as attuned to flaws and shortcomings as it is to triumphs. His citations are staggeringly comprehensive, and provide a great road map for the reader that wants to dig even deeper into any given aspect of the particular historic project.I only have two real complaints: 1) Sometimes, in his attempts to spice up the storytelling of what could have easily been a dry treatise, he's a bit too bold about putting himself into the heads of the participants, declaratively presenting private thoughts that can only be assumptions based on educated conclusions. He also dwells overlong at times on irrelevant bits of color, particularly Lorenzo Winslow's fascination with séances and the occult. 2) The book only includes sixteen pages of photographs in a glossy insert near the center. The photos that we do get are excellent, but the book would have benefited from even more of Abbie Rowe's incredible black and white photography, scattered throughout in context within the narrative.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Harry Truman was a world-class jerk!
  

*by H***F on Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022*

What a fantastic book! But Truman, as it turns out, was an absolute jerk. Would use stronger language,  but the review probably wouldn't be able to be published.

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*Product available on Desertcart Greece*
*Store origin: GR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-02*