By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
SOHO — Alaska House, a Mercer Street cultural center whose 2008 opening was famously attended by Sarah Palin's husband, may be on the verge of a permanent shut-down, reports say.
The center, at 109 Mercer Street, has been grappling with high costs, several sources said. In recent days, the lights have been off, and a sign in the window offers the space for rent, the website Capital reported. A broker at Prudential said the property was on the market for lease or sale.
"We are in the process of evaluating our options, including sharing the space by taking a subtenant to cut down our overhead costs," said Tracey Foster, executive director of Alaska House. "In the meantime, we are still open by appointment."
Sabrina Smith of the Anchorage-based Alaska Native Arts Foundation, which works with Alaska House, told DNAinfo that the center shut its doors "a couple of weeks ago" because of funding problems.
Dubbed the "Alaskan embassy in New York," by New York magazine, the center at 109 Mercer Street was founded by Alice Rogoff, wife of Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein. Inspired by a visit to the 50th state, Rugoff opened the cultural centre to "represent the Alaskan point of view," and was on the board of trustees.
Sarah Palin missed the May 2009 launch because the Yukon river flooded and she had to cut short an East Coast tour, but she sent her husband, Todd, instead.
Supporters included Mayor Michael Bloomberg and billionaire investor Steven Rattner. The center contained an art gallery, hosted lectures and screenings and offered free meeting space to visiting Alaskans.
