Fundraising Effort Aims To Repair Rundown Governor's Mansion
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- At the Governor's Mansion, the leaking roof, rotting doors and peeling wallpaper is just some of the damage. A major fundraising effort is being launched in Springfield Wednesday night to repair it.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports they are trying to raise as much $9 million or more from private donors.
Appearances are often deceiving. At first glance, the Governor's Mansion, built in 1855 and surrounded by beautiful gardens, appears to be in pretty good shape.
But take a closer look at the 45-year-old roof, where shingles are damaged and coming apart, decorative pieces at the roofline are decaying and an exterior door is rotting away.
The leaky roof has taken its toll on the formal bedrooms, threatening to damage antiques sprinkled throughout the so-called "peoples' house," which was actually in great shape when former Governor Jim Edgar lived here.
"The first night we were here after inauguration and we wake up and we look up and here is a chandelier that somebody had given the state that was more valuable probably than the first three homes we lived in," Edgar said.
The Rauners live here today amidst the splendor of days gone by, the formal offices, hand carved fireplace mantels but also alongside peeling wallpaper and badly damaged walls from repeated sewer backups.
"I think it was a symbol of the state and the pride in the mansion was the pride in the state and unfortunately the mansion has got in bad shape and I think most people think the state has gotten into bad shape so in many ways this is symbolic of the state of Illinois," Edgar said.
We know why the state is in such bad shape: the failure of politicians to appreciate the consequences of their actions.
It was pretty much the same thing here, governors who didn't live here, didn't see what was happening or lacked the courage to do right thing.