In this photograph by Robert L. Knudsen, workers repaint the Ground Floor Corridor on September 13, 1961. The painting was part of the refurbishment and restoration of the White House under the guidance of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the China Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. As part of the redecoration of the room to a vibrant grey, white, and red color scheme, the central 19th-century gild-framed borne settee was reupholstered in red velvet. The red velvet used for the settee and to line the china cabinet shelves was inspired by the gown seen in Howard Chandler Christy's portrait of First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge, first placed in this room in 1952. A circa 1825 marble mantel, seen here at right, was also added to the room during the renovations. The project was overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the China Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. The room was redecorated to a vibrant grey, white, and red color scheme. The red velvet used for the settee and to line the china cabinet shelves was inspired by the gown seen in Howard Chandler Christy's portrait of First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge, first placed in this room in 1952. A circa 1825 marble mantel, seen here, was also added to the room during the renovations. The project was overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the Vermeil Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy collaborated with interior designer Stéphane Boudin to redecorate the room in a blue and white style. The Vermeil Room, located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion, houses the extensive collection of vermeil, or gilded silver, that was bequeathed by Margaret Thompson Biddle to the White House in 1957 during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. Prior to the bequest, the room was known as the Social Room because of its proximity to a ladies restroom. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was the first to display the newly acquired vermeil collection in the room.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 24, 1963, shows the Queens' Bedroom, then called the Rose Guest Room, apparently under renovation. The effect was staged by Chief Usher J. B. West and the White House Carpentry Shop, as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy used the unfinished rooms as an excuse to amend an overnight guest invitation. The Lincoln Bedroom was similarly staged for the ruse. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's redecoration of the Queens' Bedroom was completed by late August 1963.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 24, 1963, shows the Lincoln Bedroom apparently under renovation. The effect was staged by Chief Usher J. B. West and the White House Carpentry Shop, as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy used the unfinished rooms as an excuse to amend an overnight guest invitation. The Queens' Bedroom, then called the Rose Guest Room, was similarly staged for the ruse. In actuality, the Lincoln Bedroom was not drastically refurbished during the Kennedy administration, although First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw minor alterations including the installation of a chandelier and the addition of slipper chairs with fringe selected by interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen, a member of Peter Guertler’s staff prepares to paint the Library on September 13, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The new color scheme of yellow, ivory, and antique gold would reflect suggestions from Henry Du Pont, head of the Fine Arts Committee and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin. Boudin's suggestion was based on the color scheme from the library at Leeds Castle. Guertler was a New York society painter and craftsman, who gifted his services to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s restoration program.

This photograph of a Victorian period sofa and chair in the Monroe Room, later known as the Treaty Room, was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 11, 1961 during the John F. Kennedy administration. These were, like many other pieces chosen for the restored rooms by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, were in poor condition resulting from extended periods of time in White House storage spaces. These pieces were refurbished and placed in the newly restored and renamed Treaty Room.

This photograph of the Map Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10,1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The room is seen here with pieces from the White House Collection acquired during First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House restoration project. The room served as the temporary location of the curator’s office, where new acquisitions were examined and cataloged before being displayed in rooms restored during the project. The Map Room is located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion and got its name during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration when President Roosevelt used the room to monitor and intake classified information during World War II. The room was the original Situation Room. Today the room acts as a sitting room but still displays maps in homage to its origins.

This photograph of the repainted and lightly furnished Ground Floor Corridor was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The photograph shows the placement of sculptures and pier tables as well as Regency-style lighting fixtures donated by Henry du Pont. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph of the temporary upholster's shop set up in the Ground Floor Corridor was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. As part of her White House restoration project, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and the Fine Committee put out private inquires and public calls for antiques. However, the newly acquired donations as well as general wear and tear on items in the collection created a need for a repair and upholstery shop.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows carpenters laying the flooring in the State Dining Room. The flooring is quartered white oak laid in a herringbone pattern. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows a workman finishing the trim on the window in the West Sitting Hall. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows two men standing in the Yellow Oval Room with part of the floor completely removed and the Blue Room exposed beneath. The north wall and the floor were removed in order to install steel shoring columns. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows workers returning F. Graham Cootes' 1936 portrait of President Woodrow Wilson to its place on the wall of the Red Room. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows the Ground Floor demolition. An archway from the Ground Floor Corridor and the outline of the former stairway between the Ground Floor and State Floor are about all that remains as interior walls are removed and replaced with temporary steel supports. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph shows the interior of the White House completely gutted with a bulldozer in the foreground. Visible are the steel frame towers built to support the third floor and the roof while the rest of the house was demolished. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows workers inspecting a new elevator in the sub-basement. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows workmen inside the new White House ventilation system being installed above the tunnel in the new basement. The photograph was taken to underscore the size of the system. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows the underside of the floor of the room where Margaret Truman's piano sank in the summer of 1948. The damage is seen from the Family Dining Room after the plaster ceiling had been removed. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows a floor to ceiling crack in the north wall of the West Sitting Room. Stress fractures such as this one were some of the many structural problems that led to President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.