Forgotten California castle sucks up $5M in taxpayer cash without opening to the public as planned: report

A crumbling California castle has cost American taxpayers millions of dollars, and it isn’t even open.

Scotty’s Castle, a historic villa in Death Valley National Park has been closed to the public since October 2015, but the sprawling estate costs a whopping $350,000 each year to store and maintain its collection of over 12,400 artifacts, according to a new analysis from SFGATE.

The tourist destination closed its doors after a 2015 flash flood that devastated the property, which was followed by a 2021 fire in an of the estate’s outbuildings that further delayed its reopening.

Over the past few years, maintenance of the castle’s massive collection of artifacts, which includes historic furnishings, have cost a total of nearly $5 million. But officials say the outrageous cost is necessary.

“It’s not a case of overestimating what it costs to care for this collection — it really does cost that much to do the work to the standard we need to — but more than anything, I would like to see the collection back where it belongs as soon as possible,” Alison Leard, the founder and director of Pacific Coast Conservation, which manages the collection of artifacts, told SFGATE.

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“I look forward to the day when we can send it home.”

The majority of the $5 million allocated to Pacific Coast Conservation has gone toward toward paying rent for the facility where the collection is stored, with a smaller amount set aside for costs associated with maintenance.

Built from 1922 to 1931, Scotty’s Castle was conceived as a vacation home for Chicago millionaire Albert Mussey Johnson and his wife Bessie.

The property derives its name from conman Walter Scott, also known as “Death Valley Scotty.” A close friend of Johnson, Scott entertained guests at the home, telling them it was him who built the estate.

The castle was purchased by the National Parks Service in 1970 after the death of the Johnsons.

The delay in reopening is the result of funding and staffing challenges, as well as the need to comply with laws to protect the castle’s historic features, according to the National Park Service.

But continued restoration of the castle may prove difficult. Last month, several projects associated with the property, including maintain of its pipe organ, appeared on a leaked list of 1,500 projects deemed “low priority” for the the Trump administration.

To make matters worse, staff tasked with maintaining the castle are taking on more work due to staffing cuts at the National Parks Service.

“The park’s chief of interpretation is now also in charge of curation, and so it becomes just another huge duty added on to people who already have a huge duty,” David Blacker, executive director of the Death Valley Natural History Association, told SFGATE.

While the castle remains closed, visitors can learn about its restoration on tours offered on Saturdays and Sundays from now until April 17 of next year.

Construction on the castle is set to resume in next year, according to the National Park Service. After construction, the collection will be placed back inside the property. A full reopening is tentatively set for November 2028.