The Interlochen Center for the Arts will demolish Green Lake Lodge, a building once named after Jeffrey Epstein. The decision comes as allegations surface that Epstein met at least two of his accusers at the Michigan arts camp during the 1990s.
Key Takeaways
Interlochen Center for the Arts will demolish Green Lake Lodge, formerly named after Jeffrey Epstein. At least two accusers claim they met him there in the 1990s.
- Interlochen's board approved demolition plans for the lodge once called Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge
- Epstein attended Interlochen in 1967 and donated over $400,000 to the school between 1990 and 2003
- Internal reviews found no reports of misconduct involving Epstein in school records
According to multiple reports, Interlochen's board of trustees approved plans to tear down the lodge, which was originally known as the Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge until 2008. The school cut ties with Epstein following his first conviction that year. Epstein attended Interlochen in 1967 and donated over $400,000 between 1990 and 2003, including $200,000 for the lodge's construction.
The school stated that the lodge had come to represent associations 'not reflective of who we are as an institution or the values we strive to uphold.' Interlochen has invited accusers to speak with investigators as part of an external probe into historical misconduct allegations. Internal reviews, including one conducted after Epstein's 2019 arrest, found no reports of misconduct involving him in school records.
Epstein visited Interlochen periodically, often accompanied by his confidante Ghislaine Maxwell and stayed in the lodge marked for demolition. According to Justice Department records, he paid tuition for at least one student using his donations and once flew violinist Itzhak Perlman to the school on his private jet.
The Interlochen Center for the Arts is renowned as a destination for young artists, actors, and musicians. Its alumni include Grammy winners Chappell Roan and Norah Jones, as well as Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. He had previously served time in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
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