Scotty's Castle, a historic estate in Death Valley National Park, has cost American taxpayers nearly $5 million for maintenance and artifact preservation since it closed to the public in October 2015. The property remains inaccessible due to damage from a 2015 flash flood and a subsequent fire in 2021, which have significantly delayed its planned reopening.
Annual maintenance costs for the castle and its collection of over 12,400 artifacts amount to $350,000. According to SFGATE, the majority of the allocated funds have gone toward rent for the storage facility housing the artifacts, with a smaller portion dedicated to preservation efforts. Alison Leard, founder and director of Pacific Coast Conservation, the entity managing the collection, stated that these costs are necessary to maintain the items to the required standard, emphasizing a desire to return the collection to its rightful place as soon as possible.
Built between 1922 and 1931 as a vacation home for Chicago millionaire Albert Mussey Johnson and his wife Bessie, the estate gets its name from Walter Scott, known as "Death Valley Scotty." Scott, a friend of Johnson's, would entertain guests at the home and claim he built it. The National Park Service acquired the castle in 1970 after the Johnsons' deaths.
Delays in the castle's reopening are attributed to funding and staffing challenges, as well as the need to comply with historic preservation laws. Reports indicate that some restoration projects, including the maintenance of the property's pipe organ, were listed as "low priority" in a leaked document concerning the Trump administration's priorities. Staff tasked with maintaining the castle are reportedly handling increased workloads due to National Park Service staffing cuts.
Despite the closure, visitors can attend tours focused on the castle's restoration on Saturdays and Sundays until April 17. Construction is slated to resume next year, with the artifacts to be returned to the property afterward. A full reopening is tentatively projected for November 2028.