Highlights Archives
Grant to Fund Final Villa Louis Restoration Phase
A $209,400 grant awarded to the Wisconsin Historical Foundation by The Jeffris Family Foundation of Janesville will fund the final phase of the top-to-bottom restoration of the Villa Louis, the Wisconsin Historical Society's grand Victorian house museum in Prairie du Chien. This fourth and final phase of the restoration that began in 1996 will reassess the entire restoration process to date and complete some of the detail work from the initial three phases that was not completed as originally planned. The work will include wallpapering based on historic patterns, procuring period or replica artifacts that match room settings as seen in historic photographs, adding 1880s-style linoleum floor coverings in three rooms, adding period plumbing and heating fixtures, and conserving furnishings and accessories.
The grant will also provide funding for consultants and craftspeople — many of whom worked on the previous restoration phases — whose expertise will guide design decisions and the execution of those decisions. The timeline of the project calls for work to commence immediately, with completion anticipated in the spring of 2010. Specific work will include: adding period eclectic furnishings and accouterments to the Villa Louis' large, wraparound veranda based on historic photographs; wallpapering the business office section of the Dousman office building to reflect its 1890s appearance; restoring the billiard room's and office building's historic non-upholstered furniture; and replacing the dining room table and chairs with precise replicas of the originals.
Additional detail work will include acquiring and installing 13 period steam radiators as dummy fixtures to replicate the mansion's original heating system, completing the kitchen's fully operational plumbing restoration, and restoring a system of call bells — discovered during the 2001 restoration work — that allowed family members to summon domestic help to various rooms.
 Wallpaper sample found in a mouse's nest One of the most intriguing parts of the restoration has been made possible by a preservation-inspired rodent. The servant's bathroom will be wallpapered with a type of wallpaper, called "sanitary paper," that was becoming popular at the turn of the 20th century. The wallpaper to be used is based on a fragment found beneath a floorboard among a rodent's hoard of acorns, shredded fabric and purloined "treasures" such as a checkerboard game piece.
The Jeffris Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving Wisconsin's cultural history and heritage by supporting the preservation of regionally and nationally important historic buildings and decorative arts projects. The foundation supports significant projects that strive for high preservation standards and show a strong degree of local support. Founded in Janesville in 1979, the foundation currently has more than $20 million in assets, and awards about $1 million in grants annually.
Once complete, the final phase of the decade-long project will have transformed the Villa Louis into one of the premier authentically restored, Victorian-era country homes in the nation.
Daily tours of the Villa Louis occur hourly beginning at 10 a.m. and continue through October 31, as well as during various postseason holiday special events.
:: Posted October 19, 2007
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