Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lloyd R. Smith House
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| Location | 2220 N. Terrace Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1923 |
| Architect | David Adler, Rose Standish Nichols |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000107 |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1974 |
Villa Terrace is a beautiful old house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was built in 1924 for the Smith family. This amazing home looks like an Italian palace and sits high up on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan. Since 1966, the house and its gardens have been home to the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. It is also known as the Lloyd R. Smith House and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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A Look Back: Villa Terrace History
Lloyd Smith (1883–1944) was the head of a big company called A.O. Smith Corporation. After a trip to Italy, the Smith family wanted their new home to look like the grand buildings they had seen. They asked architect David Adler to design it.
Italian Inspiration for a Milwaukee Home
The house and its special "water stairs" were inspired by a real Italian villa called Villa Cicogna Mozzoni. This old villa was built in Italy way back in the 1560s. Mr. Smith even named his new home Sopra Mare, which means "above the sea" in Italian.
The house is shaped like a rectangle around an open space in the middle. Its walls are made of red bricks that have been painted white. The roof has rounded tiles, like those you might see in Italy. Inside, the house had a dining room with a special wooden ceiling. The living room had fireplaces and a unique wooden floor. There was also a library. All the beautiful iron designs in the house were made by Cyril Colnik. He was a blacksmith from Austria who had a studio in Milwaukee.
Gardens and Green Spaces
The land around the house is designed with many levels and fancy gardens. There's a "water stairway" that flows down the hill, along with fishponds. There are even two secret gardens! A person named Rose Standish Nichols helped design these original gardens.
Lloyd Smith passed away in 1944. In 1966, his family gave their home to Milwaukee County. They wanted it to become a museum for decorative arts. Some rooms became offices, but the house and gardens mostly stayed the same. In 1976, new maple trees and hedges were planted, making the gardens even more beautiful.
What You Can See at the Museum
The Villa Terrace museum has a collection of amazing art and decorative items. These pieces date from the 1400s all the way to the 1800s. You can also see incredible iron artwork by Cyril Colnik. The museum often has new exhibits that show off different kinds of decorative arts. They also have talks about gardening, where you can learn how to plan and care for your own garden.
Restoring the Renaissance Garden
In 1997, a group called The Friends of Villa Terrace decided to bring the gardens back to their original beauty. Volunteers started clearing the land in 1998. Building the new gardens began in 2000 and took two more years. After four years of hard work, the gardens officially opened to the public in September 2002.
Villa Terrace for Special Events
Villa Terrace is a very popular place for weddings and parties in Milwaukee. The Italian-style house, the pretty gardens, and the amazing views of Lake Michigan make it feel like you're in Europe. It's a truly special place for big celebrations.
See also
- Hermes
