Documenting the Restoration
Carol M. Highsmith
Willard Room under demolition with fallen capital and
column, ca. 1981
Willard lobby after cleanup, before restoration, 1984
Willard lobby floor being fitted for tile pieces, 1985
Repair of Willard Crystal Room scagliola, 1985
Cibachrome color print
Prints & Photographs
Division
Gift of photographer, 1992 (233, 236, 234a, b)
Digital ID#s ppmsca-11563, 11566, 11564, 11565
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Photographer Carol Highsmith was hired by the Willard's developers
to document the process of the hotel's restoration and addition.
Her photographs capture the hotel's evolution from dilapidated
hulk in 1980 to its grand reopening in August 1986. In the process
Highsmith recorded the painstaking craftsmanship that brought the
Willard back to its former glory. Highsmith was inspired to become
a professional architectural photographer after viewing Frances
Benjamin Johnston's work at the Library of Congress. And like Johnston,
Highsmith has bequeathed her photographic archive to the Library.
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