Rahr West Art Museum
Encyclopedia
The Rahr West Art Museum is an art museum on U.S. Route 10
in Manitowoc, Wisconsin
. It is located in the Joseph Vilas, Jr. House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The house is a significant example of Queen Anne Style architecture
.
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. The house sat vacant from Vilas' death in 1905 until Rahr Malting President Reinhardt Rahr purchased it in 1910. His widow donated the house to the city of Manitowoc in 1941 to use as a museum.
In the house's first floor, the open carriageway entrance was enclosed in 1975. During a 1950 renovation, a modern stained glass entrance was added. It leads to a room which used to consist of two rooms - reception hall and a dining room. A fireplace partition was removed in 1950 to create the single room. The Rahr parlor was used for exhibitions for around 20 years until 1977, when it was restored to its 1910 appearance. The walls are covered in silk and bordered rug and it is furnished with original furniture. The room contains a family photograph and a bronze bust by Reinhardt Rahr. One of six remaining original fireplaces is located in the room, and it contains fluted columns, floral swags, and dentils. An oval mirror is located above it. Three adjacent rooms are used to display art.
The John P. Nash memorial library is located at the top of the stairwell on the house's second floor. Originally a bedchamber, the room was renovated in 1995 by donations from Nash's family. The room contains a bay window
, mantel, and a marbel wash basin behind a paneled door. The Schwartz Ivories Room was once a dressing or servant's room. It now contains the Simon Schwartz Collection of Chinese Ivories, which was donated to the museum in 1973. The collection contains items from over 300 years of history including over 40 rare pieces. The Porcelain Room houses a collection of hand-painted porcelain sculptures created by Boehm Studios. Mrs. Guido Rahr's collection of dolls are displayed in the Doll Room. They were acquired in her travels around the world. The items are ceremonial, folklore, and popular figures from their country. Furnished dollhouses in the room were donated by Amy Brady. The dollhouses contain 1930s furnishings from Marshall Fields. The Doll Room also contains the furnishings from a Victorian dining room. The Kamogawa Room contains a collection of gifts from Manitowoc's Japanese sister city Kamogawa
.
A wing was added to the house in 1975 to hold exhibits. The wing was paid for with donations from John and Ruth West and the Rahr Foundation. Another wing was added in 1986 to display and store a permanent collection of American art donated by the Wests.
The galleries at the museum have held pieces by Georgia O'Keeffe
, Andy Warhol
, and Picasso. The Courtyard Garden, located just inside the museum entrance, was established in 1975 by Mrs. John West and the Manitowoc Garden Club. It contains a bronze sculpture by Bruno Lucchesi in Wisconsin shrubs and trees. The Ruth West Gallery, the largest exhibition space, is used for around 10 exhibitions per year. It sometimes host lectures and recitals. The John West Gallery has exhibitions that changes every four to six weeks. It is sometimes used to display art of the museum's collection.
On September 5, 1962, a 20 pounds (9.1 kg) piece of the 7 ton Sputnik 4
crashed on North Eighth Street east of the museum. The impact location is marked with a ring. A cast was made from the original piece before the Soviets claimed it, and the cast was displayed at the museum. A customer in a nearby art gallery jokingly suggested that the city should hold a festival to celebrate the crash. The city held the first Sputnikfest in 2008, which was organized by the head of both museums.
U.S. Route 10
U.S. Route 10 is an east–west United States highway formed in 1926. Though it never became the cross-country highway suggested by the "0" as the last digit of its route number, U.S...
in Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
. It is located in the Joseph Vilas, Jr. House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The house is a significant example of Queen Anne Style architecture
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
.
House
The house was built for Joseph Vilas (1832-1905) and his wife Mary (1837-1901) at a cost of $35,000. Joseph Vilas was a merchant and twice the mayor of Manitowoc. The 13-room house was designed by George Ferry and Alfred Clas right before they designed the Pabst MansionPabst Mansion
The Pabst Mansion is located at 2000 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was once the home to Captain Frederick Pabst , founder of the Pabst Brewing Company.- History :...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. The house sat vacant from Vilas' death in 1905 until Rahr Malting President Reinhardt Rahr purchased it in 1910. His widow donated the house to the city of Manitowoc in 1941 to use as a museum.
Rooms
The John P. Nash memorial library is located at the top of the stairwell on the house's second floor. Originally a bedchamber, the room was renovated in 1995 by donations from Nash's family. The room contains a bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
, mantel, and a marbel wash basin behind a paneled door. The Schwartz Ivories Room was once a dressing or servant's room. It now contains the Simon Schwartz Collection of Chinese Ivories, which was donated to the museum in 1973. The collection contains items from over 300 years of history including over 40 rare pieces. The Porcelain Room houses a collection of hand-painted porcelain sculptures created by Boehm Studios. Mrs. Guido Rahr's collection of dolls are displayed in the Doll Room. They were acquired in her travels around the world. The items are ceremonial, folklore, and popular figures from their country. Furnished dollhouses in the room were donated by Amy Brady. The dollhouses contain 1930s furnishings from Marshall Fields. The Doll Room also contains the furnishings from a Victorian dining room. The Kamogawa Room contains a collection of gifts from Manitowoc's Japanese sister city Kamogawa
Kamogawa
Kamogawa can refer to several places of Japan:* Kamogawa, Chiba, a city in Chiba Prefecture* The Kamo River in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture...
.
A wing was added to the house in 1975 to hold exhibits. The wing was paid for with donations from John and Ruth West and the Rahr Foundation. Another wing was added in 1986 to display and store a permanent collection of American art donated by the Wests.
The galleries at the museum have held pieces by Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, and Picasso. The Courtyard Garden, located just inside the museum entrance, was established in 1975 by Mrs. John West and the Manitowoc Garden Club. It contains a bronze sculpture by Bruno Lucchesi in Wisconsin shrubs and trees. The Ruth West Gallery, the largest exhibition space, is used for around 10 exhibitions per year. It sometimes host lectures and recitals. The John West Gallery has exhibitions that changes every four to six weeks. It is sometimes used to display art of the museum's collection.
Sputnikfest
Sputnik 4
Korabl-Sputnik 1 , was the first test flight of the Soviet Vostok programme, and the first Vostok spacecraft. It was launched on May 15, 1960. Though Korabl-Sputnik 1 was unmanned, it was a precursor to the first human spaceflight, Vostok 1...
crashed on North Eighth Street east of the museum. The impact location is marked with a ring. A cast was made from the original piece before the Soviets claimed it, and the cast was displayed at the museum. A customer in a nearby art gallery jokingly suggested that the city should hold a festival to celebrate the crash. The city held the first Sputnikfest in 2008, which was organized by the head of both museums.