Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion

About this book

The Pabst Residence on Grand Avenue is one of the most handsomest in the city. It is a model of what wealth, luxury and good taste can secure. Yenowine's Illustrated News, September 1894. Little did Captain Frederick Pabst, Milwaukee's famed beer baron, know that when he began construction of his new mansion in 1890 it would survive and thrive into the twenty-first century as a testament to America's Gilded Age. John C. Eastberg sets the context for this architectural landmark by drawing out the intimate character of Captain Pabst, his family, and his brewing empire. As a leading figure of Milwaukee's society, Captain Pabst and his wife, Maria, became consummate art collectors, filling their mansion with priceless treasures. After the Pabst descendants sold the house in 1908, it became the archbishop's residence and the center of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee for over sixty years. When it was sold in 1975 for the second time in its history, the mansion was nearly torn down to make way for a parking lot. After a three-year crusade for its preservation, the Pabst Mansion was spared demolition and has been under active restoration ever since. This highly illustrated history includes hundreds of current and historical photographs, documenting the extraordinary history of this exceptional residence.