Whitehall Facade

Facing the rising sun, Whitehall’s façade, with its massive Doric columns, is intended to convey the sense that one is approaching a temple to Apollo, the sun god, where the Muses of Arts and Literature reside. Whitehall’s grounds were never arranged as formal gardens. Instead, Whitehall was built in the midst of a coconut palm grove, a reference to the Bacchanalian or natural world, and an obvious counterpoint to the highly ordered world of Apollo and the Muses. In keeping with the natural state of the grounds, the large marble urns, on either side of the steps leading to Whitehall’s massive bronze doors, are carved with Bacchanalian scenes. Two lion heads make up the central design of Whitehall’s bronze doors. They are ancient symbols of the sun and therefore appropriate motifs for the doors of Apollo’s temple.