The Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee

Charles Allis Art Museum was originally the home of Milwaukee native Charles Allis and his wife, Sarah. As a result of their keen collecting instincts, the couple amassed a unique art collection with the intention of bequeathing their mansion and its contents to the public in order to delight, inspire and educate.

The 1911 Tudor-style mansion is done in a Tudor Rose theme that continues throughout the exterior and interior of the house. The Museum began its life as an Art Library and was a part of the Milwaukee County Public Library System from 1957-1978. In 1979, the Allis Mansion was turned over to Milwaukee County, and was designated an Art Museum from that time forward. It contains a collection of paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics and more. The museum is largely intact with original furnishings and a rich and diverse art collection spanning nearly 2,000 years beginning with ancient glass objects blown in 1 B.C. and ending with the painters of Charles Allis' day.

The Charles Allis Mansion is an early work of Boston-born architect Alexander Eschweiler. Work began on the house in 1909 and was completed in 1911. It was one of the first private homes in Milwaukee to have electricity. The walls are largely made of concrete to keep Charles and Sarah's art collection safe from the ever present threat of fire.