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Jūratė Kazickas: The Royal Palace project was very controversial. When Dr. Kazickas suggested to rebuild it, there were all kinds of arguments, among them legitimate ones like raising pensions for the retired people. Dr. Kazickas saw the Palace as a building of a major historic importance attracting tourists.

Dr.Vydas Dolinskas (Director of the Museum of the Royal Palace) The vision proved itself, in 2014, 250 000 tourists visited the Royal Palace, by 2015 - 500 000.

Edmundas Kulikauskas (The Royal Palace Foundation Director): Dr.J.P.Kazickas was a true champion of the Royal Palace project.  He reached out to the Lithuanian American community for support. In 2007 Jurate brought Carleton Varney over and he took an interest in designing a coffee shop and a restaurant, welcoming area, guest hall.

Dr. Dolinskas: Carleton Varney’s designs offered a very interesting experience and solution. Although they did not meet the consept of recreation of  the Palace, the designs offered a new vision, not recreating an old one.  The work is very interesting with a lot of attention to the detail.  It illustrates possibilities for a Roayl Palace, another one, if we had one more.

Jurate: I thank you for honoring the work Mr.Varney had done, the ideas he had for attracting people to visit the Palace. I always try to get other people from outsite Lithuania to help Lithuania…

Regina Narušiene (former Chair of the Lithuanian Community of the World, member of the Royal Palace Foundation board): When Mr.Varney’s designs were presented to the committee, the President of the Committee A.Brazauskas marveled at the designs and their presentation.  One could see the detail in them: tassels, napkins…

Algirdas Vapsys (Chair of the Committee of the  Royal Palace Foundation) – At the time I was the councellor to A. Brazauskas. I took the designs home and kept them for a half a year, constantly admiring materials suggested, details. They made a huge impression on me, especially the presentation by itself. I would like to ask the Roayl Palace Museum archives not to lock the designs up  but to use them when preparing interior designers, especially when teaching them how to present the idea. During the socializm years, Lithuanian architects were considered those of the highest standards, but only when they had a chance to go abroad, they were able to bring new ideas…

Jurate:  I want you to pay attention to the amber tones and patterns, and shields on the walls that Varney used in his designs. I think we could do a master class, as seminar for Lithuanian designers, students with Varney. I am sure he would love to come…

Dr. Dolinskas: I would like to thank three main people/groups of people :

First of all Dr. J.P.Kazickas for spreading the idea of the reconstruction of the Royal palace among the politicians, general public in Lithuania and American Lithuanians. I thank Jurate for the gift.

Second of all, The Foundation of the Royal Palace with E. Kulikauskas and A. Vapsys

Third of all, Regina Narusiene, Lituanian Committee in the US for support of the Royal Palace.

I remember Varney’s presentation in detail. Our architects and museum crew can learn so much from the designs. I am sure one idea or another will be used by the Palace.  We also realized that the proposed halls were not needed. During the EU presidency we had 40 delegations and the VIP rooms were not needed. The reps were able to gather in small groups and solve questions right there in the big hall standing to the further sides. … The designs will be kept in the museum archives and showed in the expositions with other visions of the Palace…