Blog #8

I live in a brand new subdivision. Before that, I lived in a brand new subdivision. Before that I lived in a 1970’s ranch house that probably at one time was part of a brand new suburb. “Sprawl- technically defined as ‘low density, automobile-dependent development beyond the edge of service and employment areas’ -is ubiquitous and its effects are impacting the quality of life in every region of america, in our largest cities and small towns” (1998 Sprawl Report). The report I quoted from goes on to list rapidly sprawling cities and the problems they are having. While I can’t give scientific data about the places I lived, I can see how people moving further and further away from the city would cause issues, both from increased use of cars and the detriment to the landscape. The house we moved into when I was five, it was in a new suburb, backed up against more 70’s style ranch houses. I remember then it only took us forty five minutes to get to downtown Chicago. While this may seem like a huge number to someone who lives in a city, to me, because I grew up with it, seemed like a normal amount of time to get anywhere. When we moved for the third time, again into a new subdivision, It took an hour and a half to get downtown. And there were other problems too. There were actually protestors from the town holding signs where the suburb was being erected. Before the construction began and the people came, there was (apparently) a beautiful field where the town used to hold fairs but the township sold it to developers. This tidy sum bought a new police station, but at what cost? And did they really need a million dollar police station for a town of only a couple thousand? I realize that by living in the neighborhood, I am part of the problem, but if it were up to me I would always live in a city. Driving hours in each and every direction is a hassle for everyone and its not good for our environment or our landscape.

Blog #5

The Iron Horse Hotel Is an amazing place to see old history brought together with modern touches and ambiance. It is a darkened modern place with eccentric touches that both invites the patron but also cause them to think in a new way. All of the modern touches mixed with eclectic furnishings and ambiance lead one the find the Iron Horse a trip into the past, in the most beautifully way I could find. I love the idea of exposed brick mixed with exacting IKEA furniture and other modern touches that make the place both feel lived in, and relevant, despite its warehouse beginnings. The iron horse was part of the revival that the 5^th ward of Milwaukee wet through to try and meet up with the chic third ward and the entire city leaving its more industrial roots and attempting to reach into the future with a more metropolitan feel. I enjoy the ambiance of the iron horse, it is my taste in aesthetic That I have always dreamed in order to who my own personality on furnishings. The iron horse is the epitome of my personal taste mixed with the ideals of this class and what preservation can do to bring a shelter from a bunch of walls into a useful and beautiful , relevant place that will one day showcase the most modern furnishings with in beautifully antiquated walls.

Blog #9

I think open air-museums are very important to American Culture. While we may not be as sophisticated or reserved as Europe, our museums reflect our way of life and our culture. By visiting one of these museums or houses, you can gain an idea of what life looked like for people in this area at a different time. On our walk through the Pabst Mansion, we got to see quite a bit more than the normal tour. I thought that was really great because we learned many more details about their lives than the average tour group. These homes can really help drive tourism to the city and generate tax revenue. Every year in Illinois, fourth graders from all across the state travel to see the Frontier outdoor living museum, President Lincoln’s home, and other such historical sites. While the Pabst family weren’t huge players in politics, it gives us crucial insight into style and taste changes as well as how people lived their day to day lives in those times.

Blog #7

I think it’s important to address this topic in three different parts. Lake Park is an excellent example archeology, landscape and building preservation but I feel that by talking about its specific parts as opposed to speaking about it on the whole, you can get much more in depth about what should be preserved and if it is as important as preserving other sites. 

The archeological element at Lake Park is the Indian Burial mound. Believed to date back to the Mid-Woodland Culture (300 BCE-400CE), these mounds were constructed for burial and ceremonial purposes. This mound is thought to be the last of its kind in Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Archeological Society gave it a plaque to preserve its existence (Lake Park Friends). Having now been to the Indian Burial Mound, I am not impressed. Especially considering they have x-rayed the mound and found nothing below the surface, why are we saving it? We destroyed its companions, put a plaque in the middle of it, and plopped it on top so one has to walk over the “sacred” ground to even read it. I don’t see what worth this burial mound has besides assuaging our guilt over flattening the other ones.

Landscape in Lake park is vast because, obviously, it’s a park. Having walked across a good portion of it, I would say it is a very beautiful park and I did enjoy the scenery much more than the weather. “...a gathering of professionals in Japan, in 1977, defined a historic landscape as’...one which has had associated with it an event or series of events of historical note. A historic landscape may also be the visual perception of a particular period of civilization, a way of life or patterns of living’” (Murtagh 108). I think Lake Park, the park aspect of it anyways, should be preserved. We learned how important the park was for “society” in the early part of the last century. Walking around, one can just imagine horse drawn coaches carrying people over the stone bridges and women with parasols in white dresses walking around the lawn. By preserving the park and its bridges, you are preserving an older way of life. Why does this not apply to the Indian Burial mounds? Ah, because the park has another reason it should be preserved. In an urban environment like Milwaukee, it is important for the natural life and for the people to keep some areas green and free of buildings. It creates an escape, a place for people to take their children to play and be outside in a safer place than baseball in the street. 

North Point Lighthouse is the building component of Lake Park. This building, much like the greenery of the park it neighbors, is very valuble to the community and to our history. Built of cream city brick, the seventy four foot tower was crucial in guiding ships to a safe destination. This both preserves a way of life as well as distinctly Milwaukee history.

Blog #6

I have always had a passion for Ancient Egyptian culture, ever since I was a child. I started researching originally what was being done to save Egyptian monuments when I was picking out a topic. As I started to learn more, I saw that while looting was a large problem, there was something much darker going just a little further west, in Iraq and Afghanistan. In some of the articles I have read so far, it seems like our armed forces haven’t done much to staunch the flow of artifacts being stolen from museums we are trying to protect and the destruction of cultural heritage sites. Some questions I have after doing some initial research; what is the history of looting and what effect does it have, how extensive is the damage and how much of that is directly caused by war, can anything be done to stop the damage to our history or what is being done, and what types of prevention can we implement to save it? My topic really connects to what we have been talking about in class. While some buildings can be up for discussion about wether or not they should be saved, I don’t think there really needs to be much of a discussion about some of the monuments and sites in the Middle East. Especially concerning the ones we haven’t been able to properly look at because of politics or war, these sites could contain valuable information about our past and deserve to be saved so that we might learn from them. As far as the ones that we have studied already, I think that the ones with the most cultural significance or the ones in the most danger should be top priority, such as Babylon or the Great Mosque of Samarra. I believe that these sites shouldn’t be used the way they are and that as a global community we should have more respect for our past and our cultural history.

Blog #5

I think this image is a great example of adaptive reuse. Originally the Iron Horse was a mattress factory, built in 1907, and then became a paper box company. Now it is a world class hotel, having won numerous awards. I picked this photo because it shows how the designers of the hotel kept many of the original parts of the building and stayed true to the Milwaukee loft-type style of interiors. Most notably, the beautiful hemlock and heart pine posts and beams have been kept, as well as exposing cream city brick. The large square beams almost make the rooms feel a little lodge-like, but the accessories keep it from going in that direction. By expertly blending antiques and the old architechtural elements with modern furniture and industrial touches, the designers created an inviting and beautiful hotel. They took an old, unused building and repurposed it, retaining the original atmosphere and adding new modern twists, bringing the hotel into the future.

Blog #4

This is what we get...

this is what they have...

Deciding how to preserve the aesthetic of a neighborhood is important. One of the most beautiful things about a city is diversity, the idea of a melting pot of people gathered in a small area coexisting. But, in any city there are smaller “towns” where one race or ethnicity tend to gather, such as Chinatown or Greektown. These areas are full of specialty shops, grocery stores and markets that reflect where the people who live in the neighborhood came from. This, too, is important to preserve. So how can the two meet halfway? I think as long as the district or area doesn’t cover too large a space relative to the city size, then there is nothing wrong with having guidelines about the buildings there. By creating and maintaining an aesthetic for a particular neighborhood, the history of the area is preserved as well. Though, sometimes this can keep buildings around that really don’t serve a purpose or aren’t suiting the needs of the people using it, such as our Union. While it more or less serves our school well, it doesn’t really match the main building. Having seen the union at Illinois Institute of Technology last year, I developed some serious canteen envy. Because it is a historic building, it cannot be torn down, even though it no longer suits our needs for it. I think that our Union is a good example of the downsides to historic neighborhoods.

Open Air Museums - Old World Wisconsin

An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first was Henry Ford's Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, where Ford intended his collection to be "a pocket edition of America". But it was Colonial Williamsburg which had a greater influence on museum development in North America. Open air museums are important to our understanding of history in its natural form or location. Visitors are able to get "the full experience" while they view artifacts, structures or spaces. Many of these areas are wonderful in educating people about specific topics.

When I was younger I visited Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Wisconsin. I think I was about 8 years old when I went to this open air museum. The experience is something I still carry with me today. I remember vividly seeing all of the actors working and performing tasks a if it really was "the old world". The space seemed super real, but this may just be because at 8 years old you are rather naive. The museum's more than 60 historic structures range from ethnic farmsteads with furnished houses and rural outbuildings, to a crossroads village with its traditional small-town institutions. The efforts of countless historians have preserved an amazing slice of true Americana — one that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Blog #9 The Builtmore Estate

I grew up in a historically restored home, this was not a pleasant experience for me as a child, but because of my parents desire to live in such a home, I was dragged during my younger years to many a different historical home in order to “experience” the way people “once lived in finer times”. Whatever that means. I remember best being dragged all the way to North Carolina once to see the majestic Biltmore estate house, a massive estate that covers more than 8,000 acres and is still owned by the Vanderbilt family. It is a huge, running, self sustaining estate that allows people to visit , volunteer and experience life as any fabulously rich person in 1895 might have wanted to. It sports a year round team of curators, gardeners and staff dedicated to running the estate as it always has been since it’s building. Now, This is an estate that although massive, imposing and beautiful, it is also useful. I harp in the course over and over about the need to consider the use of a place for preservation purposes. Although it is a great means of generating revenue, it also preserves artisan and craftsmen wonders, a vintage car collection (all running and restored might I add!) as well as acres of land that is carefully tended and protected.

This estate preserves a lifestyle, a landscape and a way of life that is all too close to being lost in America. I believe that the use of this estate far outweighs the drag, over-indulgence and pompous nature I feel for it, perhaps because of my resentment of my own upbringing. The benefit it gives to arts, technology education and philanthropy is beyond something like a preserved home in Chicago, not open to the public, could ever hope to have, so despite my resentment, the place of such a museum is important and necessary to ourselves as preservationists and students of history.

Blog #8

The Environment and Preservation

One part of my life that was well influenced by environmental preservation was the presence of indoor gardens or greenhouses in Chicago. Now, these sites were not considered the “environment” to the point at which they were large landscapes being protected and watched over by the government, but the acts of privet owners and volunteers to bring the rare, the natural and the beautiful into the lives of us urban folk. The Garfield Park conservatory is one of the most beautiful and complete greenhouses I have ever seen. The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest and most stunning conservatories in the nation. Often referred to as "landscape art under glass," the Garfield Park Conservatory occupies approximately 4.5 acres inside and out, and includes ] thousands of plants that are grown each year for displays in City parks and spaces. Garfield Park Conservatory is located in Garfield Park — an 184-acre site located on Chicago's redeveloping Westside designed as a pleasure ground by William LeBaron Jenney — and is the oldest of the three great original Westside parks (Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas). Their mission statement is that :

“The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a non-profit organization, strengthens community through the unique combination of the Garfield Park Conservatory Campus, other botanical resources, and the engagement of community members. With its innovative programs, the Alliance enhances the environmental, social and economic vitality of Chicago’s West Side and encourages the larger community to explore the fundamental connection between plants and human life.”

Because the conservatory is located in such a devastated area in Chicago it is often looked over, yet it is somehow never ignored. The people that the site brings in often have to face and notice the area surrounding the conservatory, thus making it impossible to ignore. This space is not only open for educational purposes, art exhibitions, (like the best on I ever saw, the Chihuly glassworks exhibit!) parties and other events, but also just the regular patron who wants to experience nature from all corners of the globe. I have seen butterfly exhibits, plants I never would unless I traveled thousands of miles, and art that can only be appreciated in such a vast and creative environment. Like I said, this is not a spot of wilderness, but a carefully tended slice of nature nestled into the urban landscape opening up the ability to experience nature, art, history and science all at once, in one area. It is something worth investing time and money into, because it holds natural wonders and beauties inside glass that otherwise could be lost, or frankly, never discovered, by anyone but those who seek out botany as one of their life missions. Such organizations should be saved and supported both communally and governmentally, though it is somehow the responsibility of the people of Chicago to maintain and care for this apex of environmental preservation.

The house museum is significant to American culture for the main reason that they represent the original function and teach how the occupants of the house lived and it exhibits the objects they used in their everyday lives. Even open- air museum persevere not only the buildings structures, but in most cases they try to preserve the original environment it was placed in. The best-known open-air museum to most of us is Old World Wisconsin. The Pabst Mansion was a great way to show how even in restoration process they tried to keep as much of the original building intact. Compared to most museums when you view through the glass window, I was able to connect more with the inhabitant of the Pabst family. Being able to see the real photographs of family members on the walls and the original furniture. Even looking closer to the artifacts, like the hair combs and light fixtures, gave you a new appreciation for the space. The details that really stood out to be were the family’s strong presence of their heritage throughout the house. The father’s study was probably the most interesting aspect of the house. The stain glass windows in the study had German phrases embedded in them. This was even located in the kitchen windows as well. The intricate wood working on the ceiling of the study had painted ‘words of wisdom.’ It helped you imagine the family values that were probably instilled in the children while growing up. None of this would have been experienced first had if you were unable to enter the room and move around. I’m not saying those museums are not important as well, but they are better suited for a different age group. For little kids who want to touch and feel everything, these house museums are probably not the best place to go, but for young adults it’s a great tool to help experience a particular space as if it were in a different time period and help them grasp their surroundings more efficiently. It may be more expensive to save and maintain but it is definitely more effective learning tool and seems more accurate just because you can see the details up close. It doesn't look as staged. Given the house didn't have the generalized interior compared to most houses of that time period due to the family's wealth. It still showed typical patterns of their everyday life, like how the kitchen was in the back of the house to avoid the food smells from spreading, the hooks on the out side of the bedroom for the laundry, and even the emphasis on family livings spaces.

I remember when I went to Monticello the most lasting impressions of the foundations is the fact that the house showed mechanisms that he created himself. He created a system over the door frame that told not only the time of day but also the day of the week. It was just another example of moving through the space that shows in more detail of certain parts of the foundation that makes the connection to the past more intimate.

Open-Air

An open-air museum is a type of museum that is outdoors. It is a usually village type setting. The first open-air museums were started in Scandinavia near the end of the nineteenth century. The concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are a good way for a visitor to get the whole experience of what it would have been like in a certain time period.

Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Wisconsin is an open-air museum. The museum recreates the farms / settlements established by European immigrants. “Teams” of oxen and horses working in the fields are part of the exhibit, as well as farms preparing meals over wood-burning stoves.

It is usually more entertaining then just walking around a typical museum that is in a building. I think looking at items behind glass and not getting that interaction is one of the biggest problems traditional museums have. The people that run them know that, that is why you will see museums trying to create some kind of environment for its visitors.

I remember how cool the old Milwaukee and the rainforest sections of Milwaukee Public Museum was when I was a child. The last time I was there was about a year ago and I was more then disappointed. Parts of that Museum are pathetic! Everything seems to have a nice coat of dust. For crying out loud spend a day going around using a Swiffer duster.

Also most all of the “displays” seem out of date, as far as the looks. They do not utilizing technology. Milwaukee Public Museum needs a major face-lift. But do not get me wrong; traditional museums can just be as good as open-air museum. Both offer something unique, they both have to be up kept though to keep people coming.

Different From The Rest

Going to a historic house like the Pabst Mansion is a different learning experience then just sitting in the classroom reading about it and looking at pictures. Being able to be in the house, seeing, smelling, touching everything that the house has to offer is a unique experience that a classroom can't offer. Not only are you able to see, touch and smell the history of the place but you get sent back into time to better understand the information about the house, owners, and land. An open-air museum like the Pabst Mansion can have such an impact on a viewer because they get to learn and retain all the information in their own way. A custom history lesson I guess you can call it.

Being able to go inside a house like this, you get a feel for how the owners lived, what they did day by day and just how the land around you has changed since the house was built. With that kind of opportunity to go back in the past (sort of) and get a sense of everything really changes your perspective on things especially if you are really into a museum-like career. My aunt is one of three people that work at the Kneeland-Walker house in Wauwatosa. That itself is a historical building from 1890. She loves history and preservation. She really gets into the dirt of what really happened with where ever she goes to explore. Having her kind of love for beautiful buildings such as the Pabst Mansion really gives us a gift of the past. They are able to save what could be torn down. They are able to give us a piece of the past that could not only teach us a thing or two but change our views on what we do today.

Time Travel

Everyone knows you learn from your past. Historical events are told over and over again through the years. You’re history books are littered with events and people and historical significance. These books usually leave something vital out and that is the way of life that was kept in the past. This is where historic rooms, house museums, and outdoor museums can fill in those holes. They can take you back in time so to speak. To give you a simulation, a glimpse at the lives the people of the past lived. You can see the type of furniture they lounged or did work on. The art they chose to surround themselves with. In Keeping Time by Murtagh he talks about a historic room or house museum as a three dimensional historical document. I think that describes it well because the intended purpose of any historic room, or house museum is to be educational. To teach us how the original occupants of lived. To teach us about their habits, tastes and coveted objects. It can give us a skewed view however. The culturally/historically important are usually the buildings that are saved. This can tend to be aimed at a higher economic bracket if you will. So it can be easy to think that this is how the majority lived during that house’s given time period. A great example of this is displayed with the recent visit to Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion. This beautiful mansion which is slowly and meticulously being restored gives a wonderful look back to a period. The problem is you can miss the fact while this million dollar mansion was being build in Milwaukee, down the road people were still living in log cabins. This is where outdoor museums can help give a more complete picture set with the same educational purpose they comprise of multiple buildings restored or recreated to give that simulation to interpret a historical or cultural setting. This range can give a more broad look at the lives of people during a time in the past. Unfortunately this can become even more misleading than just viewing one level of an economic class during a period. Some outdoor museums can get out of control to the point of amusement park like entertainment if this happens the educational aspect of the museum can be lost. Regardless of a few short comings the educational value of these museums is extremely high. There really is no other way short of time travel that you can experience so closely the way someone lived from another time. This might not seem like such a necessity but if you look at the way you live to day and try to reflect on what influences your decisions and choices you make in your everyday life your environment is a huge factor. So if we can understand the way of life for the people of the past maybe we can understand on some level the reasoning behind the choices that were made that led to the world we live in today.

It's an Experience

An open-air museum or an historic house museum is a learning experience that is unique in a way that allows a person to experience, rather than just read or listen to a blurb on the history of something. A person can be emerged into an environment where they can see and sometimes smell and touch what the subject is. One can activate all of their senses instead of just one or two. A concept of a certain subject or time in history that is taught by an open-air museum or house museum can become better understood to an individual.

For example, as kids, interactivity in a certain subject gave us better understanding of what a subject was. Going to the Betty-Brinn museum in elementary school, we explored how the human body works, different professions, how crops grow, and how physics works by interacting with specific exhibits. Though this museum is different than an open-air museum or historic museum, in the same way, it allows a person to experience something to spark a better understanding.

As a community, we can learn about architectural styles of the past. New architectural styles are always derived and altered from the past. We can also learn about the way our community used to be. Since house museums are not typically still lived in or used in the way they were in the past, they showcase a moment in time that once was. House museums can remind us that change is always happening and it is inevitable. Something that once was the center and pride of a community may be and probably will be something different in the future.

One of my favorite open-air museums is Medieval Times in Illinois. You’re emerged into this scene of the renaissance. People at Medieval Times dress and talk like people from that era and the experience is captivating. You get a meal like the people of the past got to feast on and you get to experience all of these activities that used to be enjoyed during the medieval times.

One of my favorite historic house museums is one I had mentioned in an earlier blog. This fall, I visited the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. The Observatory was built in the 1890s and still is home to the telescope that once was the worlds largest refracting lens telescope. I am still in awe of what I saw when I went. I could spend days there scoping out all of the details on the outside and inside of the building.

One of the more well-known house museums I visited is Mount Vernon. I loved seeing Mount Vernon because I am intrigued by American history. It was neat to see where the Washington’s had once lived. My favorite part was the view of the Potomac River. Looking out at the river that George and Martha used to look at and to stand on the lawn where they used to host picnics for friends and colleagues was one of those ‘out of body’ experiences.

We can learn a lot from house museums and open-air museums if run by the right people and maintained well.

Pabst Mansion: a jewel in the rubble

While visiting the Pabst Mansion, one of Milwaukee’s oldest jewels, I started to recognize why some things should just stick around. The Pabst Mansion is a prime example of beautiful architecture and there is historical significance to what the mansion stands for. Today the mansion stands in the middle of a University campus, but back in the day it was surrounded by many mansions and homes that were much bigger. To the left there is a corporate apartment building and to the right there is a dormitory, which makes the building look like it is swimming in a sea of modern day housing. Being the only standing and kept up historical building on what is now Wisconsin Avenue, it is sad that we continue to demolish places that were once important and preserve buildings that are not.

Granted most of the old mansions and homes on old Grand Avenue were dying, not being tended to, and not being sold. But when we go back to the beginning of the semester, when we spoke about the Marriott and the old Down Town Books building, it is strange what has been decided to stay and what has to go. Especially for a run down building in the middle of down town Milwaukee, why is it important to preserve structural integrity while it was never kept up in the first place? How the Pabst Mansion still stands is pure luck.

I was glad to see that the mansion’s interior was treated like a museum. The museum aspect of the Pabst was the best way to handle its preservation. Anyone can now come and enjoy or learn about how this miraculous building survived such hard times. The restored settings such as the bedrooms and the kitchen are great tools to continue understanding what life was like in the past. There is little we don’t already know about the historic past of the city, but the act of restoring mansions and homes give more knowledge into economics of the time.

Restoration I believe is the most important thing that the mansion stands for. Besides the historical significance the building holds, there have been bigger strides to restore even the smallest details back to the original state the mansion stood in. It was remarkable how the restorers at the Pabst Mansion could even tell what the original trim patterns rooms would have after countless layers of paint over the top of it. Also, not to mention the attempts to bring original relics and furniture back to the home. Such things like paintings, hanging lights, and even drinking horns have all been brought back or else, after careful studying, replicated by like objects.

The importance of museums like the Pabst Mansion may seem to be for the kicks of looking into a historically famous persons home. Not unlike Mount Vernon, the Pabst is cherished for its beauty and prestige. More importantly the mansion is celebrated for its survival in Historical Milwaukee. The historical significance doesn’t just lay in the home itself, but also the representation of the rest of Grand Avenue, a street that died faster than it was born.

Importance of an open-air museum to American Culture Blog #9

Importance of an open-air museum to American Culture:

Open-air museums can have more of a historical impact on the viewer over a house museum. Some might learn more about the area itself because of an open-air museum or they may see a select amount of buildings with the same types of elements and decide to do more research on it themselves. To educate is the main purpose of an open-air museum as well as the importance of the history behind it.

What we can learn from an open-air museum is who lived there before us, how their landscape changed from where it was to where it is today, as well as what they did on a day-to-day basis. We can learn certain things to why we do certain things the way we do them today, or maybe just in that specific region still. Another importance is the information that some people see from museums like these are a career. There are certain things in life that change us such as our thinking, ideas, and decisions that we make. Someone who isn't interested, or may not know it yet, and goes to one of these sites with family possibly as a child or teen may see true value in it and want to make it into a career choice within college and beyond. That in itself is a great asset to society, keeping history going for generations to see what the past has helped us create for today.

Learning from Living Examples

Open air museums and historic houses are important in American culture because they teach us about the lifestyles of our forefathers, while also celebrating the past. “By their nature, most open-air museums are national or regional in focus, presenting aspects of native culture drawn from a single country or district.” (Chappell). Open air museums and house museums are here for the education of the present society. They are meant to educate us on the cultures and lifestyles of peoples from the past, whether regional, national, or foreign.

I am a big proponent of learning from the past. I firmly believe in the study of history so as not to repeat the mistakes made by our forefathers. I am also a proponent of sustainability in all forms of design, including architecture. From the slideshow, “Lost Grand Avenue,” shown at the Pabst Mansion by John Eastburg, Senior Historian and Director of Development, we were shown that much, in fact, most, of the original architecture from the area was gone, torn down. What remains is the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion. This building is the sole survivor of a generation. The stories that can be linked to the history of the Pabst Mansion, and Grand Avenue, or what is now Wisconsin Avenue, are immense. From old pictures of the area, we can learn many things about our city and its past inhabitants. We can learn about the economy of the area, the incomes of the citizens, as well as their occupations and personal and recreational interests; we can learn about their family histories, their paths to America. We can also track the development of an area, or the trends in architecture and style over time. What were the uses of these buildings, and why were they made with the materials chosen? Some of the skill, craft, and materials that went into a lot of these buildings is not found often in present architecture or design. But there were hard and fast reasons why certain things were used. Certain woods were used because they were prevalent in an area, or affordable, or fashionable, but they were always durable, because that is the way things were built in that era. The same cannot always be said anymore. By maintaining buildings such as the Pabst Mansion, we can learn invaluable lessons on craftsmanship, construction, design and style, the culture of the times; we can also observe, through the layout and conservation of the Pabst Mansion specifically, how this family lived, and who they might have been. What was important to these people? What rooms were most used? They seemed to spend a lot of time in the music room, which was also less formal than a lot of the other rooms in the house. Maybe that means they enjoyed relaxing together, but were not especially materialistic, tied to fashion for fashion's sake. The youngest daughter (portrait shown above) had the best room in the house, does that mean she was favored? The structure built for the World's Fair was brought back to Milwaukee and added to the house as a private chapel; this could not only display the magnitude of the family's accomplishments, but also the pride they had in their work, and the reverence and attention they paid to it. The servant's kitchen was thoughtfully decorated, as seen in the picture above depicting the detailed and hand-painted tile work in the kitchen – did that mean the Pabst family valued their employees? The Captain's office furniture can tell us how he spent some of his time, as well as how the German phrases on the ceiling can tell us things about the man as a person (wood panels shown above). By maintaining this house in the style of livability, as closely as can be gathered by these historians, we are able to learn much about the time, the area, the family, architecture, fashion, and style.

Chappell, Edward A. "Open-Air Museums: Architectural History for the Masses." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 58.3 (1999): 334-41. University of California Press. Society of Architectural Historians, Sept. 1999. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Breaking and Entering

Back when I was in Girl Scouts I found out that my hometown has up kept a house museum. Although I knew bits and pieces about the town I was unaware of where it started. Park Ridge, Illinois started as a brick industry town and was formally known as Brickton, Illinois. The majority of what I remember is a lot of old furniture and standing behind ropes looking at things. I do recall the house being set up like any other, except there were oil lamps. The house sits on a former farm, which has been paved over and is now the sight of the local farmers market. Park Ridge is a town of about forty thousand people and almost nothing resembles the brick industry any more. In the case of the Brickton House Museum I don’t see how it is important to the cities culture. Anything that is in the house could be communicated, if not better, in a room at the local library.

The Brickton House Museum was a good Girl Scout trip and it did contain all the important historical parts of the town. It was a small hub of the history for Park Ridge. Unfortunately the museum went under since the time I had been their last. I could not find any information on the place or locate its previous address. For me the Brickton house will just be a house with oil lamps and ropes.

House museums in general are hard for me to understand in the stance of small towns. The museums do preserve the history and the heritage that of the town, but they often go underutilized and unnoticed in the 21^st century and the Internet. I have never been a huge fan of house museums. They often feel cold and stagnate. Since the intent of the house was to be lived in, walking through the staged set up often seems wrong. It doesn’t help that everything is roped off and you are unable to interact with the history. I understand why it would be a liability to allow people to interact with the artifacts, but when presented in the manor of a home it seems contradictory.

When we visited the Pabst mansion, this was the second time for me within a year, I found my self quite interested in the simplest things. Although the Christmas decorations were quite gaudy and over done, the branches in the corners of the entryway were one of the most interesting parts for me. I felt I was intruding on the house when we went to visit and I felt that I had to tread lightly, almost as if I were breaking in. This is how I’ve felt at the Pabst Mansion both times. Since the house was well kept as a house and could still be functional, by only adding a fridge and a stove, it never felt right to be taking a tour of someone’s living space.

Pabst Mansion and Old World Wisconsin

Historical house museums and open-air museums are an important part of our cultural history and identity because they allow us to have an accurate depiction of the past. According to Murtagh, “A house and its contents, when maintained as a museum, teach how the original occupants lived and exhibit the object of their everyday lives” (Murtagh 63). This is important because without house museums, we would have to solely rely on photographs and interpretation of what important buildings once looked like. When we visited the Pabst mansion, I was able to get a sense of how the family actually lived, which I would not have been able to get simply from photographs. House museums are meant to give history lessons about the people who lived in the house, what those people were like, and how they lived (64). The perfect example of this is when John Eastburg told us about how the Pabst family felt more comfortable living in a middle class environment, yet they were expected to live in an environment that was purely upper class. This information gave me a whole new perspective on the Pabst family. Without having visited the site or seen the differences in décor from the first and second floor, I would have assumed that the Pabst family lived in luxury at all times.

Seeing the different stages of the restoration process within the building also showed how a house museum is significant to our culture. There was such a difference between rooms that have not yet been fully restored, and the green bedroom that had been fully restored. One is rarely able to see rooms as they were a hundred years ago, and it such a unique experience to be able to walk through one. In a way, it is like one is stepping back into a time period, and experiencing the house as it was originally meant to be experienced. This is something that only a house museum can provide because the best way to see how a historical family lived is to actually be in the same place where they lived their lives.

This same general concept can also be said for open-air museums. The National Trust describes an open-air museum as “a restored, re-created or replicate village site in which several or many structures have been restored, rebuilt, or moved and whose purpose is to interpret a historical or cultural setting, period, or activity” (75). An example of this would be Old World Wisconsin, where I used to spend my summers volunteering. This site, and others like it, is meant to educate and instill a sense of patriotism and heritage into those who visit it (81). Old World Wisconsin could be considered a living museum because during the summer months volunteers can be seen in costume farming the lands, and conducting other activities, such as being a blacksmith or general store owner, which are period appropriate. One of the best parts of volunteering there was being able to see how people of the past lived within a secluded environment. The grounds of the site were not being invaded by modern surroundings, and the volunteers simply acted as though they were living in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This was an incredible learning experience because, like the house museum, I felt like I had been transported into a different time, and I was able to see how people a few centuries ago would have lived their everyday lives.

House museums and open-air museums are important because they teach us about a time different than our own. These historical settings are the best way for people to get a sense of how our ancestors lived, and how far we have progressed as a society. Museums such as these give people the chance to experience a different period of time; one that is true to the essence of a particular area or generation. Without them, we would miss out on the opportunity of the ability to interact with the past. This is the best way to interact with a historical house or setting because they can take one so much deeper and teach so much more about a site than photographs or documents can on their own.

Works Cited:

Murtagh, William J. Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2006. Print.

3-D Museums

I feel the most important aspect of open-air and house museums in the United States is their ability to transport the viewer into a sort of virtual world in which they can experience, touch, smell, and interact with a museum exhibit. It is one thing to stand in front of a glass case and peer into the miniature representation of what the culture and life was like, but this makes it feel almost fake and story like. This effort shows areas otherwise unknown or unable to explore such as a Wisconsinite viewing tropic or Amazonian cultures. But when there is the ability to experience first-hand how earlier generations of your culture lived; this is a learning opportunity that would be otherwise lost.

As important as these museums are it is also important to note the downfalls to them as well. As mentioned by Murtagh in Keeping Time open-air and house museums are mostly at best a strict re-interpretation of how the culture lived. What may be most important in house museums is not as much the exterior of the house but the interior and along with that how the interior is decorated or furnished. As discovered on our tour of the Pabst Mansion, many of the original pieces within the house have been moved out and have had to been replaced or repurchased for the house. Without pictures, portraits, or first-hand accounts much of the décor work and layout of house museums are up to the museum’s historians and directors.

Another item of concern with open-air museums is much of the same issues, except a concern for exterior appeal and layout of buildings must be heavily considered along with interior representation. Many open-air museums in the United States feature a rural culture setting usually in days of horse drawn vehicles and farm equipment. The concern is how these structures are laid out and how to do so in a way that portrays a sense of accuracy while promoting education and interest but without making it feel too much like an amusement park. One other concern of open-air museums is the use the buildings that are not native to that area but similar enough to be moved into that setting or having to create a replica of a building that would have appeared in that time. Though similar to the time period, structures from different areas may have interpreted a structure differently from the one it has been placed in. After all many of the museums portray a time when it was very rare for local folk to travel long distances from their home, so much of their culture centers around how things were done in their particular area.

House Museum

What we can learn as a community through a historic house museum or open air museum is the connection with humanity and its exposure to the public. The intention for which provides an opportunity to intimately experience the living space of people that were and still are capable of creating an impact that is visually interesting and accentuating to the environment that we live in. In the case of the Pabst mansion, its service to Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee is both crucial and romantic to the interaction of society amongst a period of time that may now be seen ancient. However, its sustainability shows us otherwise. It shows us the historical value that it holds. In its very essence it is a landmark but in reality it provides an exclamation to the magical world of human possibility and art. It is a statement in society that after being occupied, it now serves educational purposes.

I remember in the Federal District of Mexico when we visited the Frida Kahlo museum. The place is located in the beautiful and colonial area of Coyacan which shares similar Victorian properties to the experience at the Pabst Mansion. It was Frida Kahlo's residence itself that served as the holding grounds of her artistic expression and familiarity. Aside of her paintings and sculptures therefore was her home. The place where she spent hours doing things beyond her profession. It was her life that the viewer could also see in relationship to her living style that allowed me to rethink what I knew of her. In that aspect similarly to Captain Pabst, we can imagine and be connected more with the individuals that made an impact in . It is a way to discover the lifestyle of these people whose homes are now in exhibit. They are gradual grounds. They revisit each other and let themselves know that it is coming to them as it comes fast. Faster then the wind and closer to the sound of every step that one takes on those wooden floors. This is why we save the past.

To understand the magnificence of nature as it progresses through our time. To show us where people have been and to mention any circumstance around. It is with right discretion that we investigate with each other and talk to one another about the persons who built a recognizable monument in a certain area. Tied to the history behind, the artifacts and trains of thoughts describe how we think as a social and humanitarian culture. Based on where we live and how we spent the rest of our lives with the cyclical approach to the present now. And the past as it forms a part of the now. With regard to success, we feel the need to sustain what is beautiful and provides the most amount of benefit overall. It makes sense because we give worth and value to the things that we seem to need also. The ones that we can hang on to and think back to and love and cherish. Family memories. Events. Places of comfort. Aesthetics.

That the music room was the place of gathering is of no surprise. It was the most unified. It was the one that saw the aspect of family in great times. It was the incorporation of yet another element of grand gesture and historic value as well as preservation. Music. In context to the human perspective of enjoying a quality lifestyle. A lifestyle of invention, recognition, elegance and explicit pleasure of living harmoniously. But it's its stature that dominates the attention of the observer and the divider. The castle, the Eiffel Tower, the Mansion, the famous person who lived in that house. It is an intention to people watch and correspond to the essence of living.

Another great quality in preserving a house and to build a living space like the Pabst Mansion is related to the aesthetic value talked about earlier. It's about art. Craftsmen who were hired to do amazing work with their hands. To show us at which extent one can accomplish something great. Hands.

Overall it was a great time in class!

Urban Geography & Preservation

Today, people of all generations can see the history of social and economic relations in our own communities and how they have changed our modern urban landscapes globally. To come to the realities of today, social landscapes had begun to majorly evolve during the uprising of many new forces of production after WWII. "The automobile industry successfully converted back to producing cars, and new industries such as aviation and electronics grew by leaps and bounds (cite)". At the same time, the jump in postwar births, known as the "baby boom," increased the number of consumers (cite). More and more Americans joined the middle class and began to embrace all of the new and exciting changes that were happening everywhere. It was at this point that American society forever sought the phantasmagoria surrounding them; driving consumerism faster than ever before. In the cities people were most concerned about building the tallest skyscraper humanly possible; big glass structures that protruded out of their landscapes with masses of concrete creating a high contrast between past, present as well as providing a glimpse for the future. American society had begun to change the way they built structures and sites along with the materials.

Historical Materialism is a study of society, economics, and history and provides fundamental ideas to help us understand how we were left with the modern city of today. "The system determines that there is always a division of labour into social classes based on property ownership where some people live from the labour of others (cite)." This class division is dependent on the forces of production at that moment in time and more than ever consumerism was a driving force in all decision making. Post WWII left the cities overpopulated with industries booming. Soon after, the people affected most by these industrial changes were the people who had lived in these social landscapes prior to the city, building their cultural heritage in these environments. It was then the "indigent" people of the city had to succumb to the changing economic and social status', leaving many displaced. These "indignent" residents were now able to see social problems unfold in the urban area including-gentrification, polarization, segregation, urban conflict, the use of public space, urban politics, and the role of finance and crisis in shaping urban landscapes (cite)".


We can see historical materialism truths in Seoul during its Yongsan tragedy of 2009. Seoul's population has nearly doubled since 1970 and is currently the eighth-most populated city in the world. With their booming economy and high demand for public housing Seoul is finding it very hard to provide for these needs. In response to these dire circumstances Seoul started redeveloping huge areas to meet housing demands for middle and upper-class inhabitants. But as true for American society, this has left lower-income residents and small-business owners helpless. Seoul's redevelopment plan created a social unrest among many communities and disgruntled people everywhere started to demonstrate. On January 9th, 2009, during a demonstration by upset civilians, Seoul police decided to take matters in their own hands and became violent with demonstrators. The result was the death of 5 demonstrators and 1 police office. This is an extreme example of how dependent society is on preservation in urban geography. Overall, one could say gentrification of these rice fields is inevitable, but how can you revitalize and preserve one's cultural heritage and social landscape while creating an economic uprising? Maybe the question will never be answered but we can look at the instance of gentrification in Seoul as a representation of societies value on social and cultural landscapes.