The Dominoes After - Midnight Club
Continues our exploration of the White House hotel, Summer 1999
Inside the Building

Our tour began as we entered through the classic mediterranean doorway at the South face of the main building and exchanged proper introductions with our guide. Inside these doors, the extent of the fine work being done in the restoration process was immediately apparent. We are standing at the base of the main stairway (the elevator shaft in the East end of the wing is completely unavigatable). In the Summer of 1999, the entire place has been cleaned out and everything prepared for restoration work. The walls remain until it was time to treat the buildings for asbestos.One year later,the walls are gone too and the building would be entirely gutted, keeping as much as could possibly be restored. The order from Mr. Love was given:
Everything possible is to be preserved

First floor scene in Summer, 2000. By now, extensive work has already been completed. The building has been cleared of all trace of asbestos, the window panes have been replaced after being sent to New Orleans to have lead paint removed, and these old columns are stored safely until they can be shipped out for painstaking restoration treatment. These pillars, originally salvaged from the patio when the original White houses were removed in the 1940s, pre-date anything else remaining.