SAN JOSE — The famed Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, a magnet for tourists worldwide, has been jolted by job cuts triggered by state and local government mandates linked to the coronavirus.
The staffing reductions took workers by surprise and arrived just ahead of an effort by the mystery house to re-open its scenic gardens to tours using a heightened level of interactive video and audio technologies.
The job cuts offer a potentially unsettling peek into how the economy in California might in some cases be restructured in a post-coronavirus employment market.
“Like other businesses across the country, we have had to drastically shift our model in order to protect this important historical landmark for years to come,” Walter Magnuson, general manager of Winchester Mystery House, wrote in comments emailed to this news organization.
These shifts are emerging just ahead of this weekend’s planned re-opening of the garden areas of the mystery house. But the tours at the iconic Winchester estate won’t be the type to which visitors have been accustomed for decades.
“Current governmental guidelines do not allow for a guided tour, indoor retail, or guest dining experience,” Magnuson said.
This has unleashed a restructuring that has erased about 75 jobs.
“The entire tour staff of the Winchester Mystery House was just terminated from employment,” according to an email from a former staffer received by this news organization.
The job cuts were confirmed by Magnuson, although he wasn’t precise about the numbers.
“We have made the difficult decision to reduce staffing proportionate to our current ‘normal’,” Magnuson wrote. “At this time, we are currently operating with 10 percent of our previous staff.”
Garden tours will have a limited number of staff present to ensure the safety of the guests. Magnuson added that former employees are being encouraged to apply for these new positions.
“We are heartbroken that we are not currently able to maintain our previous staffing levels,” Magnuson said. “We understand that our incredible tour guides and staff are key to bringing the history of Winchester Mystery House to life. We are incredibly proud of the work they have done to make each and every visitor experience exceptional.”
The remaining staffers have taken on tasks such as 24-hour security, janitorial services, and maintenance duties.
The upcoming garden tours will be largely self-guided, Magnuson indicated in a post on the Mystery House website.
“We are happy to offer an opportunity for guests to enjoy (the gardens) with a zero-contact, self-guided tour complemented by informative visuals and educational sound clips,” Magnuson said in the post.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether or when anything resembling the customary tours might resume.
“We don’t know when we will be able to welcome guests inside again or what tours will look like in the coming months,” Magnuson said. “It is our hope that when that time comes we will have more employment opportunities to join or rejoin our team.”
