Minneapolis: Prince’s closely-guarded studio complex in Minnesota has delayed plans to welcome legions of fans, with officials granting only temporary permits on three dates starting on Thursday.
The late Purple Rain star’s state-of-the-art studio was set to open with tours this week, but local officials in Chanhassen, a suburb of Minneapolis, delayed their approval for turning the complex into a museum.
In a meeting that lasted more than three hours on Tuesday, some local residents said they were concerned that the estimated 600,000 fans expected to visit the studio-turned-museum each year would create traffic jams and congestion in the town of 24,000.
“That’s something we need to talk about as a community: do we want to be a tourist town?” said Chanhassen City Councilwoman Bethany Tjornhom.
Members of the council asked the Bremer Trust, which controls Paisley Park on behalf of Prince’s estate, to come up with a more detailed plan for addressing the impact of a major tourism draw.
The trust announced a compromise with the council for fans who had been looking forward to entering the complex this week.
The studio will now open on Thursday, Saturday and the following Friday, October 14.
Ticket-holders scheduled for tours on dates up to October 15 were encouraged to come on the three available days instead, or receive a refund.
Prince’s studio has held a mythical status for fans, who have had only limited access to parts of it during the pop legend’s life. A lucky few hundred are said to have toured it.
Prince died on April 21 from an overdose of painkillers. He was 57.
