By Jane Margolies

In the winter of 2010, Arizona's dire fiscal straits resulted in deep funding cuts for education, health care and services for the poor. The state's precarious finances also threatened an extraordinary Arts and Crafts treasure known as the Riordan Mansion. This sprawling 1904 home in Flagstaff— the centerpiece of Riordan Mansion State Historic Park— had drawn a steady stream of visitors to its time-capsule rooms since opening to the public in 1983. But with $86 million being swept from the Arizona State Parks budget, the board that oversees the agency decided that Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, along with 12 other historic parks, would have to close. "We could only afford to keep open the parks that pay their own costs," says Arizona State Parks Director Renée Bahl.

As the clock ticked toward closure of the Riordan Mansion and plans were made to board up the building, supporters of the historic site sprang into action. Locals raised funds to provide a cushion for operating costs, and the Arizona Historical Society, another state agency, stepped in to run the place. Expenses were pared to the bone. Today, the Riordan Mansion remains open, which Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler (who did a research project on the property back when she was a college student) calls "a win for history and art and culture— which is to say a win for everyone."… Subscribe to read the entire article.