Posted on 06/16/2018 12:28:47 PM PDT by re_tail20
Illinois, your house has been put back in order. Not your political house, already in the midst of an ugly gubernatorial campaign. We're talking about the Executive Mansion, the “People’s House,” which will reopen to the public July 14 after a $15 million renovation that has simultaneously modernized and beautified what used to be the state’s most embarrassing fixer-upper.
An exclusive tour of the mansion and its grounds Thursday, led by Illinois first lady Diana Rauner, revealed much beyond the practical pluses of energy-efficient windows that don’t leak and an elevator that finally provides full access to the home for people who are disabled.
For the first time in years, passers-by actually can see the mansion, no longer hidden by a thicket of trees and shrubs. The home’s stout brick exterior has been skillfully edited, losing ungainly features while gaining richly articulated details. The elegantly revamped interior transcends mere redecoration to tell significant stories about the state, including its role in the Civil War and the World’s Columbian Exposition. And there’s no more peeling plaster in the Lincoln Bedroom.
The irony is that Rauner and her husband, Bruce, the Republican governor, could be forced to leave the home if he loses the November election to Democrat J.B. Pritzker. The Rauners donated $1 million to the privately funded renovation drive, which has raised a little more than $14 million so far, according to Diana Rauner, who chairs the nonprofit that supports the mansion.
Whatever the election’s outcome, she, her husband and the renovation’s architects, the Chicago firm of Vinci-Hamp, deserve credit for restoring the mansion’s dignity — and with it, a measure of honor for a state whose reputation has been marred by corrupt governors, political gridlock and a balance sheet stained with red ink.
The project, fittingly completed during the...
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
It’s only money. Other people’s money.
What’s the shootings count so far in Chicago this weekend.
Donated money, including $1 million from the current governor.
It sounds like the refurbishment was almost entirely done through private contributions and the house is obviously of historical importance. As much as I dislike governmental excess even I can’t argue with that.
Private donations. Surprising.
I stand corrected.
I was just worried that the state wouldn’t have enough money to pay all those lavish pensions they awarded themselves.
I was just worried that the state wouldn’t have enough money to pay all those lavish pensions they awarded themselves.
Obviously, they don’t. But who knows. Maybe this renovation will inspire the Governor and the General Assembly Leaders to bit the bullet and exchange pension models as well as amend the state constitution so the pension problems can be solved.
“Donated money, including $1 million from the current governor.”
Looks like the donations covered the entire project.
Unusual for any state much less Illinois.
I toured it 40 years ago. Wonder if its changed?
They will have enough to pay pensions if they have to triple taxes.
They are planning a 1% property tax.
All money rightfully belongs to the Illinois State Employee Pension Fund.
...A wreck no more: $15 million renovation makes Illinois’ once-decrepit Executive Mansion shine again...
It’s just a waiting room for the Big House in Joliet. Seems to be the routine.
It is important to have an Executive Mansion that gives a positive reflection on the state.
You mean the typical state worker pension fund that is 100% funded by the taxpayers?
Yeah, that’s the one.
If the governor had been a Democrat, you probably would’ve been right about whose money was being used.
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