Northern Michigan arts center to raze building formerly named after Jeffrey Epstein

The Interlochen Center for the Arts, a notable arts education center in Grand Traverse County, will raze its Green Lake Lodge, a building that was previously named for convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein until 2009.

Epstein was a major donor to the center from 1990 to 2003, having attended the center’s summer camp himself in 1967, and as such had a building named after him, Epstein Lodge, which was renamed after Interlochen learned of his first 2008 criminal conviction — at which point the center removed any recognition of Epstein as a donor from the campus and cut all ties with him. After that conviction, and again after his conviction in 2019, Interlochen says that they conducted an internal review of their records and found both times no reports of misconduct at Interlochen involving Epstein. 

However, an NPR report from February showed that Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell used their positions as donors to the camp to target some of their earliest victims, citing U.S. Department of Justice records and former campus administrators. That includes one victim, who said in a 2020 lawsuit against Epstein’s estate and Maxwell that she met both individuals at Interlochen when she was 13 years old and a student in the center’s voice program, which began years of sexual abuse she alleges that she faced from Epstein. 

Maureen Oleson, director of communications for Interlochen Arts Group, wrote in a statement that the Interlochen Board of Trustees has approved a plan to raze the Green Lake Lodge. 

“Our Finance & Budget Committee, which is responsible for Interlochen’s real estate assets, reviewed the matter carefully, considering the building’s history, current condition, associated risks, and the broader impact on our community,” the statement continued. “Following that review, the committee brought its recommendation to the full Board, which approved this next step.”

Following the Board’s approval of the plan, Oleson noted that they expect to move forward soon with the razing of the lodge.

“Green Lake Lodge has, over time, come to carry associations that are not reflective of who we are as an institution or the values we strive to uphold,” she said. “After careful consideration, the Board determined that removing this structure in a safe and timely manner is the right step for Interlochen at this time.”

The decision comes after state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) was stripped of her committee assignments by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.), which she alleges was over a press conference that she hosted regarding a resolution to investigate Interlochen’s ties to Epstein. Hall disputed those allegations, stating that her removal from committees was due to “out of line” behavior during a meeting of the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs.