Interlochen Arts Center to Demolish Building Formerly Named for Epstein
The prestigious arts center will tear down the building once named for the convicted sex trafficker after new allegations surfaced about his activities.
INTERLOCHEN, MICHIGAN — The Interlochen Center for the Arts in Grand Traverse County will demolish its Green Lake Lodge, a building that previously bore the name of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein until 2009.
The Interlochen Board of Trustees has approved the demolition plan, according to Maureen Oleson, director of communications for Interlochen Arts Group. The decision follows scrutiny over Epstein’s connections to the prestigious arts education center.
Epstein’s History with Interlochen
Epstein served as a major donor to the center from 1990 to 2003, having attended the center’s summer camp himself in 1967. The facility initially named a building in his honor, calling it Epstein Lodge, but renamed it after learning of his first criminal conviction in 2008.
Following that conviction, the center removed all recognition of Epstein as a donor from campus and severed all ties with him. After his 2008 conviction and again following his 2019 conviction, Interlochen conducted internal reviews of their records and found no reports of misconduct at the facility involving Epstein, according to the center’s statements.
Allegations Surface in Federal Records
An NPR report from February revealed that federal Department of Justice records and former campus administrators indicated Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell used their donor status to target some of their earliest victims at the camp.
Court documents show that one victim alleged in a 2020 lawsuit against Epstein’s estate and Maxwell that she first encountered both individuals at Interlochen when she was 13 years old and enrolled in the center’s voice program. The lawsuit claims this meeting led to years of sexual abuse by Epstein.
Center’s Response
The arts center has maintained that it conducted thorough internal investigations following both of Epstein’s convictions and found no evidence of misconduct occurring on its campus. The institution has emphasized that it cut all connections with Epstein after learning of his criminal activity.
The Green Lake Lodge demolition represents the latest step in the center’s efforts to distance itself from any association with the disgraced financier. Interlochen Center for the Arts remains one of the nation’s leading arts education institutions, serving students from around the world at its northern Michigan campus.
