A homey, decadent White House

Portland's White House was built in 1911 as a lumber baron's summer house. (JENN ABELSON/GLOBE STAFF)

PORTLAND, Ore. - At Portland's White House Bed & Breakfast, Lanning Blanks is commander in chief, and he is serious about making his West Coast version of the D.C. landmark a place where everyone, no matter their political affiliation, feels at home.

Located in the historic Irvington district, the Greek revival mansion, a former summer home of lumber baron Robert Lytle, has been restored by Blanks with European chandeliers, gilt-gold ceilings, a grand staircase, and 14 massive columns. It looks remarkably like the real thing (minus the Secret Service, of course).

Inside, it manages to be homey, despite a museum-like edge. Blanks has an extensive collection of porcelains, 18th- and 19th-century oils, and a parlor with a grand piano.

The inn has five guest rooms in the main house and three in the carriage house with king or queen feather beds, private baths, and Wi-Fi. It's worth the extra money to stay in the main house.

Breakfast here is decadent. Guests sit at a long dining room table with a white tablecloth and feast on egg souffles and Belgian waffles with fresh-picked blackberries. Enormous homemade cookies appear like manna in your room every afternoon.

Blanks, a South Carolina native, was making his way to Hawaii when he stopped here years ago. He never made it to the paradise in the Pacific Ocean, but he's made one here in Portland.

Portland's White House Bed & Breakfast, 1914 Northeast 22d Ave., Portland, Ore. 800-272-7131 or 503-287-7131, www.portlandswhite house.com. $125-$225 per night.

JENN ABELSON