These rocks are fine-grained, and though often banded, are tough and much harder than the original limestones.
Murals have been painted in the style of the Impressionists, a new terra-cotta floor replaces the original limestone and an open-style kitchen with a brick pizza oven is near the entrance.
The stairway was rebuilt in 1996 using the original limestone.
The original limestone Romanesque eclectic façade is three bays wide and five stories in height.
Once interior demolition begins, the architects hope to uncover quarry marks indicating the source of the original limestone, so it can be matched.
Thousands of little scarlet talons had been painted on the original white limestone, blending from a distance to create the illusion of a continuous surface of light pink.
The original limestone has been dolomitised by magnesium from sea water.
The original limestone consisted of calcium carbonate, but sometime after it was formed, water rich in dissolved magnesium percolated through the rock.
Judging from old photographs, the original windows appear to be a light color, perhaps buff, matching the original limestone and light brick.
Some of its construction includes the original limestone blocks that made up the lighthouse.