Home » More than $1M in private funds raised to preserve Governor’s Mansion

More than $1M in private funds raised to preserve Governor’s Mansion

Mansion turned 100 in 2014

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 29, 2015) — The Kentucky Executive Mansion Foundation (KEMFI) today announced that its endowment has reached $1.1 million thanks to events and sponsorships that resulted from the Governor’s Mansion Centennial Celebration.

KY_Governors_Mansion“Governors’ mansions across the country are becoming increasingly rare, as many have gone by the wayside due to lack of interest in preservation or depleted funding,” said First Lady Jane Beshear, a KEMFI board member. “In Kentucky, we are fortunate to have a fully functional and restored executive residence because of the support of our leaders and people who value history, art and tradition. And, thanks to the participation of over 800 private citizens and Kentucky-based businesses in last year’s Centennial Celebration, we raised more than $1 million—funding that will ensure this residence will be around for many future generations.”

In 2014, the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion turned 100 years old on Jan. 20. The anniversary was marked with a yearlong celebration of events and exhibits honoring the building’s architectural, social and political history. Some of the many highlights throughout the year included a centennial gala, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march and reception, a “Summer Solstice Garden Celebration” with award-winning garden designer Jon Carloftis and the premier of a new documentary narrated by Diane Sawyer about the mansion called “Kentucky Governor’s Mansion: A Century of Reflection.”

To date, $1.1 million in cash and pledges has been raised through Centennial Celebration events, principal sponsorships and private donations for the Governor’s Mansion endowment.

To recognize principal sponsors of the Governor’s Mansion preservation, KEMFI created a circular garden with granite stones and native plantings on the mansion’s south lawn. Names of the 45 principal sponsors are engraved on the stones.

No public or taxpayer dollars were used to fund the Mansion Centennial Celebration. All events and exhibits were sponsored through private donations to KEMFI.

KEMFI is a 501(c)(3) organization established to undertake, promote and assist financially and otherwise the restoration, maintenance and preservation of public buildings, sites, structures, places and objects of historic significance owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.