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ART DECO ROADHOUSE TO BE RESCUED
Work is at last under way to bring back to life a forgotten art deco building left to decay in an Edinburgh housing estate for years.
The White House, one of the capital's first 'roadhouses', has been on Scotland's Buildings at Risk register after being closed down as a pub more than a decade ago. But now the Category B-listed building, on the main road heading through Craigmillar, in south Edinburgh, is set for a new lease of life after its proposed revival was at the heart of a successful £2m bid to the Scottish Government.
A new café-bar, arts centre or museum are among the potential uses under discussion for the building, which dates back to 1936 and was the focal point of the local community in its post-war heyday. It is set to reopen to the public at the end of next year after a refurbishment expected to cost at least £1.5m.
The White House, designed by the acclaimed Edinburgh architect William Innes Thomson, was one of the first roadhouses to be built on the periphery of the city in the inter-war years. They were billed as a new form of refreshment and entertainment for travellers. The original White House said to be one of the few pubs built at the time to embrace a modernist aesthetic, originally included a saloon bar, tea room, skittle alley and a billiard room.
The area around the White House is also set to be transformed to coincide with the new-look building's planned unveiling late next year.
Eric Adair, operations director with Parc, said: "The White House stands at the heart of the Craigmillar regeneration area, and its restoration will be a source of genuine pride for everyone living here.
"Its rebirth as a community focal point will have a real benefit to the area both as a local resource but also as a hugely symbolic and prominent statement that Craigmillar's regeneration is well under way.
"The final use of the White House has yet to be decided, but it will have to be commercially viable and sustainable in the longer-term. The important thing for people in the area is to bring it back into public use, but there is no real appetite for it just to reopen as a pub. The ideas is that it is fully restored and refurbished over the next few months while we continue discussions with people in the area."
Local councillor, Mike Bridgman said: "The crucial thing is that it has some form of community use in future and I know the local arts group in Craigmillar is going to be using it on a temporary basis to stage an exhibition about the history and heritage of the area. The developers need to make sure local people are heavily involved in deciding what happens to it in future."
Housing minister, Alex Neil, said: "The restoration of the White House, an iconic listed building, is a fantastic symbol of the changing fortunes of Craigmillar."
www.parccraigmillar.co.uk
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