With Jerry Brown shacking up somewhere between a Sacramento loft and the Oakland hills and California's state parks in dire need, officials have devised a creative new moneymaking scheme: Why not allow rich people to throw parties in the Governor's mansion?
Built in 1877 and inhabited by a slew of Golden State governors (including Brown's father Pat), the Parks Department-operated estate now serves as a time capsule of 20th-century California politics. But officials believe the historic abode can be used for more than a museum, and they want to offer it to party planners for a few thousand dollars a pop.
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All the funds generated from said soirees would go into the state parks' coffers, helping California's most treasured spaces to remain open to the public -- including the mansion itself. “We are expanding our ability to utilize the grounds by allowing it to be rented for special events, for weddings, receptions, so it will enhance financial flow,” spokesman Al Howenstein told CBS News.
The 14,000-square-foot Victorian structure boasts a spiral staircase, marble fireplaces, a formal dining room and even a pool. And did we mention its roots?
“Each of the rooms has a piece of history of the governors and their families that resided here," Howenstein said to CBS.
Watch the video above to learn more about the mansion, and take a tour through its rooms below, courtesy of LocoSteve's Flickr account:
