Pabst Mansion

Both of my mother's parents grew up in Milwaukee. However, my first trip to MKE was just this past year. One of the stops on our tour was the Pabst Mansion. This was one of many large edifaces that lined Grand Ave (presently called Wisconsin Ave) in 1890 when it was built.

The history of the mansion is pretty interesting. After most of the Pabst's passed away - the mansion was sold to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. They painted over all the custom interiors to a stark white. Most of the wood floors were carpeted. The room off to the far right side of the mansion which you can see here was used as the "beer tent" at the 1893 World's Fair - the Catholic Church turned it into their area of worship.

In 1978 - the Archdiocese put the mansion up for sale again - this time to a developer who had plans to rip it down and build a parking structure - probably to accomodate nearby Marquette University. A group of historians and preservationists lead by John Conlin saved this tragedy from happening. Since 1978 - a massive restoration has been underway to restore the original artwork and interiors. It's pretty impressive - definitely worth the $9 admission.