Iron Gates

The white building to the left on the top of the bluff is Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, but it was once a private residence. It was built in 1924 by Lloyd Smith, who was an executive at A.O. Smith Corporation here in Milwaukee.  (both of my grandfathers worked at A.O.Smith, but as maintenance men, not executives) Lloyd and his family traveled through Italy on vacation, and fell in love with the Villa Cicogna Mozzoni in Lombardy, Italy, so upon his return home he commissioned an architect to design a home for his family based on that Villa. He named his new home "Sopra Mare", meaning "above the sea"; very fitting, as it overlooks stunning views of Lake Michigan. After he died in 1944, his wife remarried & continued to live in Sopra Mare until 1966, at which time the family donated their home to Milwaukee County to serve as a decorative arts museum. Over the years, budget cuts caused a reduction in maintenance of the extensive renaissance garden & this elaborate, original gate, and it all fell into disrepair. In 1997 the "Friends of Villa Terrace Board" was founded & they raised money to restore both the gardens and this beautiful gate. The repairs were finished in 2002--the gardens are occasionally open to the public--while I've toured the building, I've still never managed to get inside the gate to the gardens!!   :))