Interlochen Center for the Arts says it will tear down former Epstein Lodge
The trustees at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Northern Michigan say they will demolish a cabin on its campus that was donated by Jeffrey Epstein and originally had his name.
The building, which was originally named The Epstein Lodge, was renamed Green Lake Lodge in 2009. It was not recently in use.
"Green Lake Lodge has, over time, come to carry associations that are not reflective of who we are as an institution or the values we strive to uphold. After careful consideration, the Board determined that removing this structure in a safe and timely manner is the right step for Interlochen at this time," the board said.
Interlochen Center for the Arts was founded in 1928 as a youth music camp program in northern Lower Michigan near Traverse City. It has since expanded to a range of performing arts programs, hosting students from around the world and partnering with professional music and arts organizations.
Epstein attended Interlochen during the summer of 1967 and donated to the Interlochen Center for the Arts between 1990 and 2003, the center said. He was also known to have made multiple trips to Interlochen in the 1990s, lawmakers said.
Epstein died in August 2019, while in federal custody awaiting trial. He had by that time been indicted on sex trafficking charges. His co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a prison sentence.
All donor recognition in Epstein's name was removed from the campus after his first criminal conviction in 2008, the center said.
Green Lake Lodge had not been in use recently.
The center said in March it was "developing a plan for alternative uses of the site."
In a follow-up statement issued Tuesday, the board said its finance and budget committee recommended razing the building, and the board agreed.
Further details for the future of that site were not provided.
"We have fully cooperated with requests from government agencies, and many of the files recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice were documents we previously provided to the authorities," the center said.
