Tag
Architecture
Deconstruction is a rambling building filled with random architectural bits and other vintage items. Need a Bakelite doorknob, a 1930s glass light fixture, or Victorian pocket door? They have it. They also have boxes of records, old adding machines and… Continue Reading →
The Karpeles Manuscript Museum in Duluth is actually one of eleven libraries, spread across the country. With a vast collection of historic documents, the libraries feature small shows of rare items around a theme. 902 E 1st St, Duluth, MN… Continue Reading →
This stately home has an amazing history. This massively strong and elegant home was built by one of America’s wealthiest citizens, Russell Jones, and is the basis for the term “keeping up with the Joneses.” As you view the property,… Continue Reading →
The LeDuc Estate is a gorgeous gothic revival house in Hastings, MN. Built by William LeDuc in the 1850s, the perpetually broke businessman took years to complete the house. Always one to speculate, and never one to collect, the family… Continue Reading →
The “Minnesota Museum of American Art” is a most grandiose and inaccurately named location. The small, one-room gallery is dwarfed by the size of the outer ante-chamber and shop. Additionally, the one show on display when we visited was of… Continue Reading →
A diverse, if odd, collection of displays worth visiting if you are in downtown Appleton.
Update 2021: The business has been sold and is no longer open to the public. Cooksville, a tiny community a few miles south of Stoughton, is the home of the oldest running grocery store in Wisconsin. Open in 1846, it… Continue Reading →
The grand Wisconsin Historical Society building sits at the base of Bascom Hill, across from the Union and Red Gym. It’s an imposing building, but like most of the other UW-Madison buildings, open to the public. While most of the… Continue Reading →
The best term I’ve heard to describe Fairfield and the Maharishi University is “cognitive dissonance.” Drive into the downtown and you’ll find gorgeous Victorian-era homes, a red stone courthouse with clock tower, and a central park with a gazebo out… Continue Reading →
The University of Iowa Natural History Museum is of the satisfying old-school variety. It feels like what natural history museum should. Founded in the 1850s, the collection contains many unique and exotic species and are are housed in a graceful… Continue Reading →
Like Galena IL to the southwest, Mineral Point is a town that time forgot. Then time rediscovered it and opened up a bunch of cute art galleries and shoppies. Originally a mining town settled by Cornish miners. Many of the… Continue Reading →
Galena, IL is a charming little town on the banks of the Mississippi River, and bears many of the architectural hallmarks you see on towns further south. Red brick with cream trim abounds, there porches galore and even the most… Continue Reading →
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s new Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has won numerous awards for its fantastic design. The white “wings” of the hall open twice a day – 10 am and 5 pm (8 on Fridays)…. Continue Reading →
The Paine Art Center is amazing both inside and out. The European-inspired mansion is architecturally awesome on its own. The ever-changing gallery of shows is eclectic and unique – Gee’s Bend Quilts, Craig Blietz’s paintings, Kirsty Mitchell’s Wonderland photos, Chihuly… Continue Reading →
The walking path around Lake Geneva extends between 20-26 miles, depending on the source. Regardless, only the most avid of hikers is likely to complete the whole thing in a day. The path meanders through the back yards of some… Continue Reading →
Like Spring Green, Woodstock is a town you don’t go to specifically for one thing, but instead for the ambiance. Made famous(ish) as the filming location for the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, this charming little town is a lovely… Continue Reading →