Thank you for continuing to bring attention to this. The name "Bellosguardo" is made up of two italian words: the first is "bello" that means "beautiful, pretty"; the second is "sguardo" meaning "view, landscape" in the italian vernacole of the place. What do these people do? Voted Santa Barbara's Best Website for 10 years in a row, edhat is local news from your community. Rumor has it that they are about to announce that guided tours will be soon be offered. I think the foundation should be able to hire someone for less than a 6 -figure salary to do nothing. It's the talk of Santa Barbara: What has become of the hideaway on the hill? The current state and function of Bellosguardo is a slap in the face to the public and to the late owner. This left his campaign in shambles, Feinstein won, and Arianna transformed herself into a high-glam left-wing salonista, prompting Lou Cannon Summerland resident and a national political commentator of great renown to mutter, Once upon a time, the left had some standards.. This estate is breathtaking down to the details of gilded hinges on doors to its enchanted setting. Theyve auctioned offClarks doll collectionwith no transparency of where the money went. At least the place is operable and being used. Maybe theyll have some advice. Well its a great piece of history here, and so why hasnt it been made available to the public? He is basically a one man band who has to be the president of the foundation and property manager of an old, large estate. Mr. Lindaman isn't being paid out of tax funds. You have not directly answered any of our questions, staff said. Oh, add reports of alleged mismanagement and alleged favoritism to the bakers mix and what do you get? There's a lot of law you'll have to learn if you want to work with or against Bellosguardo. Set high above 1,000 feet of coastline, Bellosguardo (Italian for "beautiful lookout") was purchased by copper magnate, Senator William Clark, in 1923. Set high above 1,000 feet of coastline, Bellosguardo (Italian for "beautiful. Progress is being made in opening the property to the public on a regular basis. . It soon came to light that the Huffingtons had themselves hired an undocumented nanny. A Sea theme runs through beginning at the front door, past the vestibule lined in limestone with a carved floral trophy above the Archway where on either side, are a cloak room and powder room. It's not an appropriate as a residence for students any more than Hearst Castle is these places are viewed as historical artifacts and are being preserved as such. Robert Eringer is a longtime Montecito author with vast experience in investigative journalism. It's not public property. Words From & Stories About Timothy Lindsay, The Seeds Virginia Sowed: Produced by Joan Selwyn Featuring Tim Lindsay. Unbelievable!!!!!! Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), https://www.independent.com/2021/05/27/bellosguardo-showing-small-signs-of-life/, Google Ordered to Pay $32.5M to Sonos over Speaker Patent Infringement, Chick-fil-A Closes to Reconfigure Drive-Thru Lanes, Debt Ceiling, Bank Failures, Santa Barbara Retail Covered at Economic Talk. Best to look at your own soul and motives and let the foundation board members step up and deliver all communications as the more you talk the worse it all appears. The Italianate home on the 23-acre property was then torn down, and in 1933, Clark's widow, Anna, built the lavish, solid-concrete home that remains today. Disappointing but not surprising. Bellosguardo is a 23-acre property with an assessed value of $49.7 million as of 2017, according to the Assessors Office. They want you to believe pursuing any actions are fruitless. This edition ofThe News Letter,originally emailed to subscribers on September 27, was updated on October 20, 2021. It is unclear how many ramps are proposed and where they would be located., Lindaman who, according to the Foundations latest tax records, collects a $120,000 salary was given the opportunity to amend and resubmit his application. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. I thought back to the beginnings of this great Bellosguardo Boondoggle, back to 2014, when our mayor at the time, Helene Schneider, appointed her then-lover, Jeremy Lindaman, to lead the organization, despite his shocking lack of qualifications. As long as we keep acting like commenter 699 and attempt to turn every problem in our world into a fault of solely the Democrats or solely the Republicans, we will never solve anything. All involvement beyond sending a check involves work -- or should. This cushiony position comes with an annual salary of $120,000. Do you think tourists care about the most treasured piece of real estate in town? Till when, theres no more money? It was the morning after yet another private event at the property, which is supposed to be operating as a public center for the arts but instead serves as a $85 million man-cave for an ex-mayors boyfriend, his buddies,and the rich and famous. The umbrage train had already left the station. May I remind you that the Bellosguardo Foundation is a 501c3 tax-exempt, nonprofit foundation accountable to the California Attorney Generals Office, the Charitys Bureau in New York, the IRS, the City of Santa Barbara and to the public. A few weeks later, I found out that the Bellosguardo bash I saw had been a wedding party for one of Arianna and Michael Huffingtons daughters. The shy Huguette took to art, spending her sun-filled days painting. Her death came when for the first time in her life, she was out of sight of a mother and father who were both loving and very private, while at a Camp for girls in upstate New York. The Knotty Pine paneling has an overdoor with a magnificent carved double Rococo Shell motif like the famed Shell bed at Houghton Hall. I tried to refocus my attention on the sparkling ocean in front of me, but my blood was already starting to simmer. It took me a minute on teh Google to find their tax returns, which like most non profits are public record. Clark also founded Las Vegas and a railway line that connected Salt Lake City to Los Angeles via Vegas with a train on which he kept two luxurious Pullman cars for his private use. Why this absurd sense of entitlement to something that isn't yours? Ten years later, when Huguette inherited the 23-acre estate, she gave the staff instructions to never change a thing. Pass on your concerns to the state AG and let them take it from there. Most importantly, why are you speaking on behalf of the foundation when you are not on the official board? Don't ever give up. Clark stripped Montana and later, Arizona of its copper at a time when it was much needed for a new invention called electricity along with transatlantic cables and telephone lines. It was returned due to incompleteness. They seem to think that they are keeping some dark secrets. To receiveThe News Letter in your inbox, sign up atindependent.com/newsletters. How often would events be held, and how many people would attend? How many docents would be employed? If you believe an Independent.com user or any material appearing on Independent.com is copyrighted material used without proper permission, please click here. His last commission was The Pentagon. Because Mr. Lindamans terse reply arrived just 32 minutes later. The nonprofit hadnt resubmitted any paperwork, yet here they were, throwing another big party. Aside from some of the fixtures and the location it is an unremarkable estate. Will Bellosguardo be open for public tours any time soon? Bellosguardo Foundation was incorporated as a New York-based nonprofit corporation in 2014. near East Beach, replete with a garage containing two pristine automobiles (including a Cadillac) from 1933 and a doll collection worth $1.7 million. What utterly nonsense. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. If it is a private foundation, to live or die in what way is their choice, isn't it? Its going to be an uphill battle for him to accomplish anything in this city with his reputation. This story was originally published by theSanta Barbara Independentand is reproduced here in partnership with Edhat. Such a notion, of course, runs contrary to the foundations Articles of Incorporation filed in June 2011 with the Office of the California Secretary of State. Editor: George Pozderec. Quickly bored, he ran, two years later, against Dianne Feinstein, for her Senate seat. If approved, there would be an environmental review and vetting by the city's Historic Landmarks Commission and Planning Commission. As to Mr Lindaman, his lack of transparency about the future of Bellosguardo speaks loudly for when the local community will be invited to visit Ms. Clarks former estate. Its not clear if or when he plans to do so. Since then, intrigue has grown over what will happen to Bellosguardo, after a New York Times bestselling book, "Empty Mansions.". So without any real accountability, its no wonder a former political operative who wound up sinking Schneiders promising career with bad advice and even worse behavior has turned Clarks summer home into his personal party house. The tour that I helped lead was advertised on the foundation's website. After seven years of stubborn silence and relative inactivity, the Bellosguardo Foundation appears to be taking its first baby steps toward opening the late Huguette Clarks palatial estate to the public. The Copper King died at age 86 in 1925, leaving an estate of around $200 million (a few billion in todays money), of which one-fifth went to Huguette. Back in the early 1990s, the Huffingtons were winning the hearts and minds of Santa Barbaras hoi polloi by writing $10,000 checks to all the nonprofits on whose boards they served. In a previous hearing before the Historic Landmarks Commission, Lindaman briefly discussed other vague ideas for Bellosguardo, including potentially adding structures.. But with a wonderful history and critical to what we ultimately became as a heavily and artificially landscaped community. Not exactly what Huguette Clark had in mind with her bequeathal. I jumped in the water to cool off. Bill Dedman, co-author of "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune" Recently, I heard that Jeff Bezos, the Amazon Man, would be renting Bellosguardo soon. What have we heard of *your* private activities? If it is only opened for the snooty part of the world, that is even worse than letting the public in. First published on May 22, 2022 / 9:52 AM. Since then, intrigue has grown over what will happen to Bellosguardo, after . Some have pointed out the conflict-of-interest impropriety of appointing to this post a career political operative with close ties to the then mayor an operative with zero experience running a foundation and only 34 years of age at the time. Huguette came here every Summer until 2007 & often stopped on her way to & from Hawaii where she went every Winter. But the weather is getting a little chilly for another ocean swim. It's the talk of Santa Barbara: What has become of the hideaway on the hill? Powered by WordPress VIP. Have zero confidence in the leadership of the Bellosguardo Foundation run by President Jeremy Lindaman. Beautifully written Reginahopefully get to visit some day. By this nakedly transactional method, Michael then a restless oil man and real estate developer from Texas bought himself the congressional seat that included Santa Barbara. Someone needs to make and publicize a FOIA information release. Anna was bequeathed the original Bellosguardo in Santa Barbara, built of wood in Italianate style. Seriously, what is needed to fix it? Think Filoli in Woodside, the Frick in New York City, the Huntington in San Marino, and the Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills. His appointment wasnt out of the blue, for he came from an extraordinary background and family connection. On Sept. 7, The Investigator dispatched this email to foundation president Jeremy Lindaman: It has been brought to my attention that those in control of the Bellosguardo Foundation have been running private events at the Clark Estate as recently as this past weekend. Since you are making some rather salacious claims about Bill that are likely libelous, we must assume that you have an attorney on retainer who has advised you of your situation and vetted out these claims. She didnt want anyone in her Mothers house. These are the questions that beg to be asked: Aside from renting out the estate for the odd private event, what has Jeremy Lindaman actually accomplished for this foundation (and to justify his salary) over the past seven years? The Italianate home on the 23-acre property was then torn down, and in 1933, Clark's widow, Anna, built the lavish, solid-concrete home that remains today. In short, I'm glad that Mrs. Clark's home is on its way toward meeting her stated goal of promoting the arts. A batch of rancid donuts leading to a foul stench wafting in from, not the smelly Bird Refuge, but the mesa upon which sits the Clark Estate. Get our torches and storm the castle! Mr and Mrs. Clark purchased and donated the Camp in honor of their deceased daughter Andree, and in doing so, created the beginning of the Girl Scouts of America. But the weather is getting a little chilly for another ocean swim. None of the gaslighting Bill and the foundation are spouting is true. Friends of Robinson Gardens Member Built in the 1930s, high above the Santa Barbara coast, the mansion known as Bellosguardo was the summer home of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark, who instructed her staff to never change a thing - and they didn't. Jane Pauley pays a visit to a fabled home constructed from a Gilded Age fortune (made famous from the bestseller "Empty Mansions"), which will open its doors to public tours for . While planning staff said they were in general support of the proposal, according to their written response to Lindaman, they took issue with the lack of detail in his application and deemed it incomplete. How many guests would be on each tour, they asked? Quickly bored, he ran, two years later, against Dianne Feinstein, for her Senate seat. Thats because no one is really watching. During what hours of the day? Frozen in time since the 1950s, Bellosguardo, the estate of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark in Santa Barbara, has been kept up for $40,000 per month. Built by Anna Clark, widow of copper king, Senator William Andrews Clark, in 1937, and then owned by their daughter, Huguette, until her death at age 104, Bellosguardo sits high on the bluff overlooking the ocean. BREAKING: Pat Roberton dies at 93 |Morning Rundown: Student loan debt bill vetoed, Florida shooting suspects behavior, Bobs Burgers actor arrested. Whatever and whomever, it was beautifully sited, and Lucky were those who wandered within. Bellosguardo is not a "white elephant" since it was not gifted to us, and we are not paying the maintenance or operating costs. Twisting around a bend, there it wasthe Sleeping Beauty of Santa Barbara now awakened. In short, the foundation is supposed to be operating for the benefit of the public and striving (for how many years now?) It was apparently a grand affair with large tents and security. Raising money will allow it to open this historic home for public tours, once it gets full city approval. Approvals could be appealed to the state's Coastal Commission. Your email address will not be published. So Lindaman has been collecting a salary for nearly a decade even though the property stood in limbo with nothing happening? State Lands Commission Approves Extension of Diablo Canyons Lease, Santa Barbara County Supervisors Wrestle with Campaign Transparency, Santa Barbara Looks to Fill 43 Vacancies on City Advisory Boards, Three Dead, Two Injured in Major Crash on Highway 1 Near Vandenberg, Santa Barbara Sheriffs Office Offers $10,000 Reward in Unsolved Montecito Murder, Man Seriously Injured in Traffic Incident on Mission Street, Santa Barbara Police Chief Looking into 5150 Holds, Santa Ynez Principal Exits as Teacher of the Year Is Unleashed, Santa Barbara Unified School District Gives Teachers and Staff a Raise, The Redemptive Power of Love with Kim Cantin, Domestic Violence Solutions Benefit Art Show, Read With Pride! Five years later the Italian villa was razed having been damaged by the earthquake of 1925 and replaced with a splendorous French-style chateau built with reinforced concrete and 16-inch walls to render it quake-proof and decorated by Huguettes mother, Anna LaChapelle Clark. Foundation Applies for Permits to Host Guided Tours and Special Events. ", Our dear Paul Clark Newell, Jr., co-author of Empty Mansions, died in 2016. You then will be able to submit your deal. Even basic information about the ramps and restrooms was omitted, staff noted. Linderman is unable to create healthy and trusting relationships and that is a block to getting anything done. Does anyone know WHAT WE CAN DO about this problem? It soon came to light that the Huffingtons had themselves hired an undocumented nanny. At the least, research them online. And so far, no one with the legal, political, or high-society clout has been willing to take the lead on making sure Clarks will is actually carried out. Andre's Cottage, a rustic thatched-roof house at Bellosguardo, the Clark estate in Santa Barbara, is dedicated to Andre Clark, Huguette's older sister, who died of meningitis in 1919 at age 16 . I'd say that's why politics was/can be brought into it. It was the morning after yet another private event at the property, which is supposed to be operating as a public center for the arts but instead serves as a $85 million man-cave for an ex-mayor's boyfriend, his buddies, and the rich and famous. https://www.independent.com/?s=bellosguardo. You say "that's the last we ever heard of the matter" -- oh really? This has been to many years already. Look for yourself: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/471833911, so he's making over a hundred thousand dollars for seven years, and when he finally submits a permit to the city it's deemed "incomplete" and "without details". In April 2018, with probate and tax issues settled by the New York County Public Administrators office, the Bellosguardo estate was officially transferred to the nonprofit Bellosquardo foundation. It is then that this building becomes a house, a home created in a time when craftsmanship reigned supreme. How frequently would tours be conducted? It helped, but only a little. BABYCAKES - that sounds like an awesome plan. So without any real accountability, its no wonder a former political operative who wound up sinking Schneiders promising career with bad advice and even worse behavior has turned Clarks summer home into his personal party house. More important, why are Huguette Clarks final wishes to open the estate as a cultural center for the people of Santa Barbara not being honored by those appointed by the city to do so? The foundations Board of Directors was nominated by former Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider. and if so, that's quite pathetic of you. Any news source in SB up to it? He was Societys Golden Age architect, from Pasadena, fresh from having built The Santa Barbara Biltmore down the street. The linens were beautiful and reasonably priced compared to other vendors I researched. He died two years later. ZERO is right, this has nothing to do with party lines and everything to do with rotten elites (no political preference necessary) making rotten choices that benefit the elites and no one else, ignoring legality and basic morality and ethics. 8053898182. Photos by CC Pulitzer-Lemann and Jeanne Anderson. He has no business running this foundation More info from 2018 piece here. This building, this house, is rather a cozy home for a Mother and Daughter and their staff. Thanks for clarifying in the face of yellow journalism and innuendo. 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