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I visited a park/reserve that definitely walked the line on this stuff. On the one hand it was open to the public 5 days/week, most of the year, provided you pu
by steveBK123 3y ago
I visited a park/reserve that definitely walked the line on this stuff.
On the one hand it was open to the public 5 days/week, most of the year, provided you purchased!! generally-available tickets in advance.
On the other hand after a few visits I learned that the giant mansion at the center of the park was still occupied by the textile baron owner who set up the foundation. This foundation was setup almost as soon as the mansion was built, and he subsequently lived out his days for 30 years there.
They also charged to use the estate for weddings/catered events.
And they also had the gall to ask people to donate to the foundation.
Incredibly, some well heeled locals have given 6 figure donations.
It seemed to me an amazing structure to live out your days on a beautiful estate with the upkeep of the incredible garden/art collection partially subsidized by both the government (tax deduction) and public (ticket sales / events / donations).
He eventually passed away and the foundation leadership devolved into a circular firing squad but that's a separate issue.
- simonsarris 3y agoHow is this comparable? It seems like they are offering excellent public access. It looks like a very expensive garden to maintain, free for high school and college students, veterans, and children under 12, and just $2 for anyone with SNAP/EBT card (Museums for All pass). That seems very reasonable. It looks like they also put on lots of paid (and free!) performances. This takes a lot of real live human hours to coordinate. https://longhouse.org/collections/tickets https://longhouse.org/collections/tickets
- steveBK123 3y agoWell it's open 3-4.5 hours/day, 5 days/week in season. Fewer days off season. So we're not talking public park levels of access. The bigger question is how much of a tax benefit did he get to live with that arrangement, and what % of the garden was covered by his contribution to the foundation vs other revenue.
- seattle_spring 3y agoAre you by chance talking about the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island?
- steveBK123 3y agoNope Longhouse reserve Glad to hear this is a common scam lol