A “Green” Holiday Tour at the Governor’s Residence

“I’m very happy to share the beauty of the Governor’s Residence [with the public] at this special time of year,” First Lady Jessica Doyle said as she greeted my daughter and me on our arrival at Wisconsin’s Executive Residence for the Holiday Public Tours. We toured the entrance hall, the formal dining room, reception room, living room, library, and sunroom, all decorated in traditional holiday style with poinsettias, wreaths and greenery.

However, the tour was not only special because the mansion was beautifully decorated for the season. While the six Fraser firs do add much greenery to the main rooms, they are not the only things that are “green” these days in the Governor’s home. The Executive Residence is now certified as a Travel Green Wisconsin site, and Vicki Heymann, Residence Director, gave details of the many changes the mansion has made to save energy, including new practices in holiday decorating.

One of the easiest ways to save energy – changing light bulbs to compact fluorescents and replacing tree lights with LEDs – have made a dramatic difference in the mansion’s electricity bills. Heymann reports that there has been over a thousand dollars savings in the last year.

The trees, six stately firs, are each decorated in a theme with a connection to Wisconsin.

“Buon Natale” highlights Wisconsin’s Italian heritage and is located in the dining room. It features ornaments of fruit, angels and candles and was created by the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee.

The “Tribute to our Troops” tree in the reception room honors Wisconsin men and women who have served or are serving overseas in the military. Families and friends have contributed over 150 ornaments to the tree, many featuring photographs of their loved ones.

Two trees decorate the living room. The “Bright Star” tree is decorated with ornaments made by 4th graders throughout the state. The ornaments depict many of Wisconsin’s more famous citizens including magician Harry Houdini, Olympic skater Eric Heiden, and Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar.

The “Made in Wisconsin” tree features original ornaments made by Wisconsin companies created to showcase their products and services.

In the Library, the “Deck the Hall” tree celebrates higher education in Wisconsin. Students in many of these schools contributed ornaments to honor some of their proudest accomplishments.

Finally, the “Giving Tree” occupies the sunroom. This tree has ornaments created by many of the charitable organizations that give to their communities and fellow citizens year round.

The Governor’s Residence is a truly lovely place to visit. The home was originally built in the 1920s and acquired by the state in 1949. The home, which has been home to 13 governors, is elegant, but in a simple and warm way. There are many items displayed in the rooms that give the home a Wisconsin flavor: the library holds books written by Wisconsin authors; an intricate musical instrument, a reed mouth organ called the Qeef, given to Governor Doyle on behalf of the Hmong community in Milwaukee rests on a library mantel; green and rust-colored stained glass art, crafted and donated by Eau Claire resident Steve Immerman, provides a visual connection from the exterior gardens to the interior living space.

This is definitely a place to put on your “to see” list, and the Holiday Tour provides a perfect opportunity with the bonus of visiting the mansion while it is dressed for the holidays.

The tour is free, but all visitors are encouraged to bring new or gently used children’s books that will be donated to state literacy programs.

The remaining schedule for the Holiday Tour is:

Tuesday, December 9, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 11, 10 am – noon
Saturday, December 13, noon – 2pm
Tuesday, December 16, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 18, noon – 2 pm
Saturday, December 20, noon – 2 pm

Tours are also offered on Thursdays from April through August.

The mansion is located on the northeastern shores of Lake Mendota in Maple Bluff. The address is 99 Cambridge Avenue. Enter through the main entrance. For further information or directions to the Governor’s Residence call 608-246-5501.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 83

Checklist Highlights / Innovative Best Practices

–100% of light bulbs have been replaced with compact fluorescents and LED Christmas lights are used
— A recycling program is in place
— Local Wisconsin products and biodegradable products are purchased whenever possible
— Yard waste is composted; garden flowers are used for decorations in the mansion when possible; herbs and produce grown in vegetable gardens
–Staff and visitors are educated on how the Executive Residence is improving its environmental impact

Website: http://jessicadoyle.wi.gov/section.asp?linkid=440&locid=71

Photos and article by Bo Mackison who frequently travels throughout the state of Wisconsin, and loves to discover “green” places. See more Wisconsin photographs at Seeded Earth Photography. All photos © 2008 all rights reserved.

Not Just Your Ordinary Bank

The M&I Bank building in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is a definite “must see” if you are in the area touring Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home. The bank was designed by a Wright associate, William Wesley Peters. Peters was Wright’s first apprentice, joining him in 1932. He assisted Wright in the designs of Fallingwater and did the structural rendition of the Guggenheim Museum.

The bank, located in downtown Spring Green about an hour’s drive west of Madison, is an operating bank, and is open during business hours. A nearby building, at one time the drive through window for the bank, is now occupied by Spring Green’s Chamber of Commerce.

Peters was first married to Wright’s adopted daughter, Svetlana, who tragically died in an auto accident with one of Peters’ sons. Later, he was briefly married to Svetlana Alliluyeva, the only daughter of Joseph Stalin, in a marriage arranged by Peters’ mother-in-law, Olgivianna Wright. (Frank Lloyd Wright’s last wife, she survived him and ran the Foundation for many years.)

Peters was a widely respected architect and engineer, and a loyal friend of Wright and advocate of his ideas. He completed several projects that Frank Lloyd Wright left in various degrees of completion after Wright’s death. He was Chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation from 1985 until his death in 1991.

Photos by Bo Mackison, a Madison area writer and photographer who travels Wisconsin in search of Frank Lloyd Wright-related architectural gems. To see more Wisconsin photos, visit her galleries at Seeded Earth Photography.

A Frank Lloyd Wright Treasure for Rent

The Seth Peterson Cottage sits on a bluff overlooking Mirror Lake near Lake Delton, Wisconsin. It was one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last commissions, and was completed in 1959, the year of Wright’s death. Very little was published about this building when it was originally constructed. However, when the building was rehabbed in the late 1980s, the work was acclaimed as one of Wright’s most architecturally significant designs.

The cottage features a combined living room/dining room with a central fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a small bedroom and bath. The main room feels amazingly large since it features a sloped roof. The room’s height measures only 6 feet 8 inches at the wall behind the sofa, but rises to 12 feet on the opposite wall of windows.

This cottage, tucked in a quiet spot in Mirror Lake State Park is open to the public for tours on the second Sunday of each month, and can also be rented for overnight use . Although the cottage is booked months in advance, it is a popular destination for Frank Lloyd Wright admirers who want to actually “reside” for a day or two in a Frank Lloyd Wright home.

— Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area, and a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. She recently discovered the Seth Peterson Cottage and plans on spending a winter’s night there in early 2009. Visit her galleries at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Wisconsin photos.

Wisconsin’s State Capitol – Way Cool!

We’re rapidly approaching August and the warmest days of the summer. Looking for a way to cool off without splashing in the lakes or going shoulder to shoulder with mall-shoppers? Why not visit the State Capitol Building in downtown Madison? With it’s thick stone walls – there are 43 varieties of stone from all around the world – the interior is pretty darn cool. Pretty, too.

The Capitol Building, located on Madison’s isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, was built between the years 1906 and 1917. It’s price tag was just over $7 million dollars. Standing more than 200 feet high, it is topped with “Wisconsin,” a bronze statue created by Daniel Chester French. Inside, the rotunda’s ceiling features a mural called “Resources of Wisconsin” painted by Edwin Blashfield. The capitol’s interior reflects art, architectural features and furnishings that reflect a diversity of heritages. Thirty foot skylights allow natural light to reflect and play off the many niches and crannies, highlighting beauty at every turn.

I highly recommend a tour of the Capitol for nearly all ages. The building is open daily except for a few major holidays. Hours are 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. During the summer months, the sixth floor museum and the observation deck are open. The deck is perfect for a view of downtown Madison and, if you are lucky, maybe even a cool breeze off the nearby lakes. Guided tours, which are free, are offered frequently throughout the day. You do not need reservations unless you are in a group of 10 or more people.

Some parking is available on the streets and also at nearby city parking garages, an easy walk to one of the Capitol’s many entrances.

— Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area. She has sought shelter from the heat in summer (and the cold in winter, too) inside the Capitol Building and always stays for hours captivated by all the visual treats. See her photo galleries at Seeded Earth Photography . Photo “Capitol Arches” © 2008. All right reserved.

Taliesin Gardens and Asian Sculptures

Asian Sculpture in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Garden

Wright’s Crane Sculpture from Japan in Taliesin’s Garden

Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Spring Green, Wiscosnin, has several gardens also designed by Wright. (If you know much about FLW, perhaps you know that Wright designed everything connected with his homes. He was not only the architect, he also designed the furniture, rugs, and everyday house implements from dishes to lamps. And some of his clients even allowed him to design their clothing, including magnificent dresses, so that they would FIT into his vision of his perfect environment. (Susan Dana from Springfield IL was his favorite client because she agreed to any of his ideas AND funded them promptly!) Hmm. Maybe Frank was a bit of a control freak in addition to all his creativity and genius.

Anyway, Wright brought thousands of art objects and artifacts from Asia to the US, most notably from Japan, and used them throughout many of his homes, in his designs and in his gardens. These two cranes are in the garden near his bedroom in Taliesin. He could open his bedroom door which was set into a wall of framed windows, take a dip in his 8 foot deep plunge pool, and then wander a bit through his flowers and sculptures.

It really would have been an insomniac’s solution – a dip in a cool pool and then a midnight stroll in the gardens. I’d much prefer that option to the one I take nearly every night when I find myself awake, lying awake and watching the ceiling.

Do you think FLW would mind a new occupant?

Taliesin – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio

Mr. Wright's View from his Bedroom

Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in these hills near Spring Green, Wisconsin, located about 30 minutes west of Madison. He worked on several of his uncles’ farms in the Spring Green area during his youth, and as he didn’t particularly enjoy farm chores, he often wandered up on this hill to enjoy the view. As an adult, he designed Taliesin, his famous home and studio, and nestled it into the same hillside.

Taliesin, where FLW lived and worked for nearly 50 years, has only recently been opened to the public. Seen only by guided tour, you are offered intimate glimpses of Wright’s home, studio and gardens, all designed by the architect who was one of the leaders of the Prairie School Architectural movement. The living spaces are decorated with furnishings of his design and Asian art which he collected and used as an integral part of his living environment.

Tours leave from the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitors’ Center, another nearby FLW building, and are available from May through October. Call 588-7900, area code 877, or visit Taliesin for more information.

— Bo Mackison is a Wisconsin photographer who totes her camera throughout the State. She loves Frank Lloyd Wright and his many architectural wonders and highly recommends the tour. To see other photos by Bo, visit her gallery at Seeded Earth Photography.

Monona Terrace’s Roof Garden

summer spectacle of flowers

Nearly everyone in Madison can identify the Monona Terrace Convention Center, a beauty of a building designed by notable architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and located downtown on the shore of Lake Monona. But not everyone knows there is a remarkable garden with citizen access on its roof.

The William T. Evjue Rooftop Garden is currently ablaze with prairie-style flowers in the planters and plenty of space to enjoy the panoramic views. To the south is Lake Monona with the city of Monona peeking from the far shoreline. To the north are awesome views of the State Capitol Building, many downtown buildings including the Madison Club and the Hilton pictured here. The near east and near west sides of Madison are also visible.

If you have a camera, be sure to come visit just after sunset. You can take a photograph of the Capitol “springing” from the roof’s fountain. See the photo Capitol as Night Falls for an idea of what you might shoot.

The rooftop gardens are open Sunday through Thursday from 8 am to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 8 am to midnight. For further information, call (608) 261-4000.

— Bo Mackison is a Madison writer and photographer who loves finding fun places to enjoy nature and take photographs. See her photo gallery at Seeded Earth Photography.