 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Huguette Clark |
| Type | Charitable organization (IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | arts |
| Location |
|
Key people | Dick Wolf (chair of the Board) Jeremy Lindaman (president) |
Revenue (2022-23) | $857,397[1] |
| Expenses (2022-23) | $1,031,551[1] |
| Employees | 10 |
| Website | http://www.bellosguardo.org/ |
| Note: Revenue includes $212,800 in unrelated business revenue from event space rental. | |
The Bellosguardo Foundation is a charitable organization for the arts located at the oceanside estate in Santa Barbara, California, known as Bellosguardo, one of the empty mansions of the reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark.
Registered in the State of New York,[2] the arts foundation was formed to administer the Bellosguardo property according to the provisions in the will of Huguette Clark, who died in 2011 at age 104. Well known in her youth as an heiress, and again in her later years for being a recluse, she was an artist, art collector, and philanthropist, the youngest child of Senator William A. Clark.
The great home sat furnished but unvisited by Huguette Clark and her mother after approximately 1951. The staff was under orders to keep the home as it was, and automobiles remained in the carriage house with 1949 license plates.[3]
The story of Bellosguardo and the Clarks figures prominently in the bestselling nonfiction book Empty Mansions, which is being developed into a television series by HBO.[4]
Scheduled docent-led tours of the home began in 2023 for supporters,[5] who sign up for free on the foundation's website to receive notifications of tour dates.[6] The foundation is awaiting action by the city of Santa Barbara on an application to change the use of the property, to allow for a broader program of public tours.[7][8][9]
The foundation hosted an inaugural fundraiser at the mansion on October 13, 2018, with more than 500 people paying $1,500 or more to attend.[10][11] Public musical events have been held, such as a flamenco dance presentation during Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta.[12]
The foundation's annual tax return lists its mission as: "Bellosguardo Foundation fosters and promotes the arts by offering docent-led tours of the house and gardens with an emphasis on the architecture, decorative and fine art collections, and gardens. The foundation hosts musical performances, lectures and other events at Bellosguardo." Formed as a private foundation, its five-year transition to a public charity with the required substantial public support was completed with the filing of an IRS Form 990 in May 2024.[1]
- ^ a b c "Bellosguardo Foundation, Inc. annual tax return 990 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax for fiscal year ending June 30, 2023". State of California Department of Justice. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "BELLOSGUARDO FOUNDATION INC". NYS Department of State. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Dedman, Bill; Newell, Paul Clark Jr. (2014). Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-53453-8.
- ^ "'Empty Mansions' Series Adaptation in the Works at HBO from Ido Fluk, Joe Wright & Fremantle". 7 February 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Christopher (2014-08-27). "How to tour a haunting Santa Barbara estate that's been frozen in time for half a century". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ https://bellosguardo.org/visit/
- ^ https://www.noozhawk.com/bellosguardo-foundation-starts-guided-tours-for-insiders-at-clark-estate/
- ^ https://www.sitelinesb.com/bellosguardo-is-opening-for-tours/
- ^ https://www.sitelinesb.com/what-to-expect-on-the-bellosguardo-tour/
- ^ "Events". Bellosguardo Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ Lehr, Tracy (2018-10-14). "Bellosguardo opens doors for first fundraising event". KEYT-TV. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2024-08-27/bellosguardo-santa-barbara-tour-huguette-clark