Prince’s Paisley Park home in Minnesota has been given the green light to become a permanent museum.
Chanhassen City Council in Minnesota have approved plans to change its status at a meeting following months of pressure from the administrators of the late singer’s estate to reclassify the 65,000 square-foot complex. The plans had been met with concerns from locals over traffic and parking facilities in the area.
Joel Weinshanker of Graceland Holdings, which is overseeing the museum, tells the Star Tribune: “I think the city was very thoughtful in what they did. Prince’s museum is going to outlive us all.”
But local resident Shelia Claytor, one of 30 people to attend the meeting, said it was “a rush job,” adding: “piecing it all together is not Prince’s style.”
The mansion and studios were temporarily opened the complex the public earlier this month. Fans were able to visit the studio and office space where Prince worked and the performance areas where he played alongside various artefacts, including props from the film Purple Rain and around 6000 outfits and 1000 pairs of shoes on site.
The pop icon’s ashes have also been put on display in a decorative urn – a decision which sparked controversy among visitors.
Museum tours begin again on Friday. For more information, visit the official Paisley Park website.
Prince died aged 57 following an accidental fentanyl overdose at Paisley Park in April.
