Mansion up for grabs, assembly required

PIERRE, S.D. -- A mansion that was home to more than half of South Dakota's governors now sits in three pieces, nearly forgotten on a storage lot.

If you want it, it's yours. Free for the taking.

There is one catch -- the 5,200-square-foot, 18-room structure must be used for a public purpose.

The residence is being replaced by a $3.25 million home where the old one once stood along Capitol Lake. Money for the new mansion, expected to be finished about June 1 for occupancy by Gov. Mike Rounds and his family, has come solely from donations.

Rounds was the 16th governor to live in the old mansion, built in 1936 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But the Republican governor and his family were only there for three months before plumbing, electrical and other problems forced them back into their own home in Pierre in mid-2003.

"We tried to make the best of it, but when I opened a drawer one morning and saw a mouse looking out at me, I decided it was time to go back home," first lady Jean Rounds said. "I grew up on a farm and I am not afraid of mice, but you shouldn't have mice in the governor's mansion. I know how dirty they are."

An engineering report indicated it would cost $3 million to renovate and enlarge the mansion, which also had termites.

The new home, which has 73 rooms, has plenty of public space for the entertainment of state guests. Roughly two-thirds of the residence will be used for public functions, anchored by a grand meeting room.

The fate of the old mansion is uncertain. It likely is unusable until many improvements are made.

"I'm hoping one of the nonprofit or charitable organizations will come up with a unique way to use the structure," Rounds said. "But the concern I've got is that it's going to cost so much money, whether it's to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act or bringing the electrical system up to code. The best estimate we had to get it up to code was more than $400,000."

If state officials have no luck donating the mansion, it will be sold to private interests for any use.

"There is a risk that I could be sitting on this thing next winter, and I certainly don't want that," says Paul Kinsman, commissioner of the state Bureau of Administration.