20TH CENTURY ELEGANCE: Ornate brass window latches contribute to the feeling of elegant, early 20th century living. (Iris Schneider / LAT)
RETROFITTING: Work on the mansion, which includes seismic retrofitting and other safety features, is expected to be completed in the late spring or summer of 2008. (Iris Schneider / LAT)
HAZARDOUS ZONE: The mansion stands shrouded in scaffolding, plastic sheets and tape as workers transform the building, some using chemicals and power washers to strip off layers of lead paint. (Iris Schneider / LAT)
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FINE TOUCHES: A Flowery wall ornamentation. (Iris Schneider / LAT)
SPLENDOR, STRIPPED DOWN: In a room under restoration on the upper floor, wall plaster has been removed to reveal bare clay tile. (Iris Schneider / LAT)
EXPLORING: Worker Freddie Summerville checks out pipes that run the length of a tunnel in the nearly century-old house. (Ken Hively / LAT)