Irwin Weiner ASID - It's thrilling for me to see history preserved when significant architecture is restored. I was fascinated by the number of first ladies and other dignitaries who have conducted video tours of their state's governor's mansions, and then I realized that these mansions represent "the people's home away from home," a lovely democratic principle that probably doesn't work quite the way it sounds: "I want to stay overnight in my home away from home." Right. Not likely to happen.
There's controversy surrounding many governor's mansions - 43 states have them, and some governors no longer want to live in a tax-free, expensive home with costs footed by taxpayers. Watch the Wall Street Journal's video on For Sale or Rent: The Governor's Mansion.
Here's a video of the first lady of West Virginia showing off her state's governor's mansion (see top photo) - and following the video are links to some other governor's mansion videos.
Other governor's mansion tours: Virginia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, California, and Louisiana.
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