In this 1950 postcard image, Congress gathered to hear President Harry Truman in a House Chamber that was half old and half new. Engineers had just installed a new roof and ceiling and renovated the gallery level. The changes addressed long-standing structural dangers and gave the House a chance to update the Chamber’s look. When the House gathered for Truman’s next State of the Union Address in 1951, the lower half of the Chamber had been renovated as well with deep wood paneling replacing the Victorian décor visible in this postcard.
