American Notes Washington

The restoration took five years and $113 million to accomplish, but Washingtonians who last week strolled through the Victorian opulence of the reopened Willard Hotel a block from the White House seemed to find it all worthwhile. Shuttered for 18 years, the historic structure, which evolved from four row houses built in 1816, had been gutted and painstakingly renovated by Developer Oliver Carr. At a black-tie reception, descendants of Founder Henry Willard gathered for pictures under the massive chandeliers in the ornate Crystal Room.

So thorough was the restoration that 7,000 sq. ft. of marble floor tiles were lifted, cleaned and replaced with pieces from the same quarry in Italy that had produced the originals. Workmen spent a year on their knees reconstructing the mosaic. When the hotel reopened, however, the tiles were largely covered by carpet. "It broke our hearts to see the rugs go down," admitted Project Manager Michael Darby. "But marble floors are hard on the feet and very noisy."