Vacation rental: Historic six-bedroom, 10-bathroom mansion with eight fireplaces and ballroom. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Juneau within easy walking distance of the Alaska State Capitol and other attractions. May offend some political and cultural sensitivities.
Opening the doors for such a listing by turning the Alaska Governor’s House into a short-term rental is being proposed in a bill introduced Monday by state Rep. Will Stapp, a Fairbanks Republican. House Bill 139 would allow short-term rentals at the three-story, 14,400-square-foot residence “when the legislature is not in session and the governor has not reserved the mansion in advance.”
The bill also states if the Legislature is called into special session that rental bookings for the affected dates will be canceled. No specific rent amounts or other terms are specified, instead mandating “The Office of the Governor shall adopt regulations establishing a system for making the governor’s mansion available for a person to rent and the fee charged for renting the mansion.”
A Hardman piano, purchased for $500 in 1912, remains playable in the ballroom of the Governor’s House. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Stapp, in an interview Wednesday, said the intent of the bill is to demonstrate lawmakers are being fiscally responsible with state assets at a time when a large budget shortfall looms and remedies such as new tax measures are being considered. He said it isn’t directed specifically at Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a fellow Republican, who is absent from the mansion for most of the year.
“I didn’t look at it as sending a message to the governor,” Stapp said. “I would just look at it as ‘Hey, this is an easy example to highlight’ about ‘Hey, what are we doing? How are we spending our state’s money? And is there better, more efficient ways that we can do our operating expenses in the state?’”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry by the Empire sent by email on Wednesday morning.
Stapp, a member of the House Finance Committee, said the governor’s residence is “an $800,000 a year operating expense.”
“So if we’re going to have that type of luxury, you know what?” he said. “Our state has a lot of needs coming to education and revenue shortfalls; we need to really start looking inward ourself to operate the government, and start saying ‘Hey, what are must-haves and what are our wants and what are our needs?’”
Dunleavy’s proposed budget for the coming year includes a four-person staff at the mansion — a manager, a chef and two housekeepers — at a cost of about $531,000. Other costs include a broad range of categories such as utilities, maintenance and office expenses.
The mansion is used for a limited number of public events such as the governor’s annual holiday open house as well as numerous private events where various groups and guests are hosted.
Juneau’s ongoing and chronic housing shortage has made short-term rentals a controversial subject — as is the case in many other communities. City leaders are currently studying additional possible limits, with a Short-Term Rental Task Force that began meeting in January scheduled to present initial recommendations to the Juneau Assembly later this spring.
If Stapp’s bill somehow became law — which would require Dunleavy signing legislation requiring him to hand over the keys to random visitors, unless two-thirds of legislators are willing to override a veto — the word “affordable” likely wouldn’t be part of any vacancy listing.
The highest listed price for a Juneau short-term rental in a Google search that returned 297 sites is $1,094 a night for a six-bedroom, four-bathroom duplex with a total of 10,764 square feet. It is in the vicinity of downtown, about two miles from the Goldbelt Tram.
That holiday home offers “a flat-screen TV and a fully equipped kitchen that provides guests with a dishwasher, an oven, a washing machine, a microwave and a fridge.” But the governor’s mansion features considerably more elaborate furnishings and entertainment possibilities.
Looking through the dining room and reception area to the front door of the Governor’s House. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
The governor’s mansion hosted its first holiday party in January of 1913, shortly after construction was finished, and a Hardman piano that was part of the initial furnishings is still in playable condition in the ballroom. A feature about the mansion published by the Empire last November notes there is also a lavish range of historic artwork.
“Mahogany bookcases in the library display Alaska Native baskets, carvings and historical artifacts visible through the glass doors along with volumes of first-edition books,” the article notes. “In the same room a portrait of Secretary of State William Henry Seward is illuminated by sconces above the hearth. Seward was responsible for the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States in 1867 shortly after the American Civil War. A remnant of the Russian period hangs on the wall of the second-floor landing leading to the private quarters: a six-foot-tall portrait of Peter the Great. The painting is thought to have been in Sitka’s Baranof Castle during Russian occupation of that city, according to Carol Sturgulewski’s book ‘White House of the North.’”
The external decor may be more controversial for some, since Dunleavy has hoisted two flags with pro-life themes on the flagpole that also flies the Alaska State Flag. Protesters converged on the mansion last June — a potentially awkward social situation for a guest renter should a similar demonstration overlap their stay.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
