Setting the Stage to Cherish Our Past

Over 350 citizens participated in Biloxi’s “Preservation 101” series, a free program which began in September of 2000 and culminated in a May 10th, 2001 graduation event at the historic White House Hotel restoration site.

Organized by city Historical Administrator Lolly Barnes, the multi-faceted 101 series included field trips ranging from “Biloxi’s Historic Churches” to “Biloxi’s Historic Trees and the Houses They Shelter” and noteworthy lectures such author James Kunstler’s “The American Landscape - Past, Present and Future.”

In addition to honoring 101 participants with a lavish cocktail buffet, the graduation gala also got down to some serious business, underscored by keynote speaker Mark McDonald of the Historic Savannah Foundation:  historic preservation can also bring tremendous economic revitalization to local
communities.

It’s a tenet that White House owner and 101 gala co-host James S. Love, III clearly believes in, as he pursues his vision of bringing the Gulf Coast’s last surviving Grande Dame hotel, a National Register landmark, back to glorious life.