RESTORING THE GRANDEUR

In 1889, Captain Frederick Pabst commissioned Milwaukee architect, George Bowman Ferry to design a substantial mansion in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style on a large piece of property that Pabst had acquired some years earlier. For seven months, Ferry labored over designs for the future Pabst Residence. On June 27, 1890, a building permit was issued for the construction of the home at 2000 Grand Avenue. Over the next two years, dozens upon dozens of craftsman created the structure that we see today.

The Mansion was to be one of the very finest residences in the city. No cost or innovation would be spared in its design. Of many of its conveniences, the house was wired for electricity, then in its infancy, plumbed for nine full bathrooms, installed with a state-of-the-art heating system by the company now known as Johnson Controls which could regulate the heat in the Mansion with 16 thermostats and custom-built furniture for the majority of its rooms.

The outside of the Mansion was just as impressive with a large stable to the rear of the property, designed in a similar style as the main house, only on a smaller scale which was unfortunately razed in 1977. A large glass conservatory behind the Mansion housed all manner of tropical plants that would be taken out into the gardens during the summer months. This included a large palm tree the gardeners would move every summer to the flowerbed in front of the Mansion! At the north end of the property, a servant’s duplex was constructed as a residence for the butler and the coachman and their families.

The Pabst family was able to move into their new home in July of 1892. The interior of their new home exuded an artistic, aesthetic restraint that was not usually seen in a house of this caliber during this period. Colors, woodwork, furnishings and ornaments harmonized from room to room, floor to floor to create a unified interior treatment. The original art collection that Captain Pabst skillfully acquired featured some of the best artists of the time. The works of such artists as Bougereau, Schreyer, Verboeckhoven, Eckenbrecher and Ridgeway Knight were represented on the walls of the Mansion. The Pabst family was able to enjoy their abode for a relatively short period of time. After Captain Pabst died in 1904 and Mrs. Pabst in 1906, the heirs to the estate put the Pabst Mansion up for sale. In May of 1908, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee successfully negotiated for the purchase of the Mansion to be used as the residence of the Archbishop.

For 67 years, five Archbishops and numerous priests and sisters called the former Pabst Residence home. In 1975, the Mansion was to be sold for only the second time in its history. The Archdiocese had hoped that a preservation group would purchase and maintain the structure. However when funding did not materialize, it was sold to a party with the intention of demolishing the house for a parking structure. With the fate of the Mansion poised for demolition, local entrepreneur, John Conlin purchased the house until the fledgling preservation group, Wisconsin Heritages, Inc., could attain the funds needed. By 1978, after receiving a large state grant and holding 23 mortgages in their hands, WHI was able to purchase the former Pabst Mansion and open the house to the public in May of 1978. Since those early days much has been accomplished to restore the Mansion to its original appearance of when the Pabst family dwelled within these walls. Room by room, inside and out, the Mansion is being restored and conserved for future generations. In the summer of 1998, the Board of Directors officially renamed the organization, Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion, Inc. to reflect the renewed focus solely on the restoration of the Pabst Mansion and the preservation of the Pabst Family legacy.