Truman Balcony House. Truman Balcony The Truman Balcony is the second-floor balcony of the Executive Residence of the White House, which overlooks the south lawn. It was completed in March 1948, during the presidency of Harry S. Truman. Truman's plans to build a balcony off the Yellow Oval Room were controversial. Truman argued that the addition of a balcony would provide shade for the first floor portico, avoiding the need for awnings, and would balance the White House's south face by breaking up the long verticals created by the columns. Critics of the proposal, including members of the Commission of Fine Arts,
Whitehouse Block and the United States Pension Agency. The third floor was occupied by fraternal societies. The building continues to see commercial use. Whitehouse Block The Whitehouse Block is a historic commercial building at 188 Water Street in downtown Augusta, Maine. Built in 1865, it is one of a series of four Italianate commercial buildings built in the wake of a devastating 1865 fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Whitehouse Block stands on the west side of Water Street, Augusta's principal commercial downtown thoroughfare, just south of its junction with Bridge Street. It is