Gilded Age in Milwaukee: Something's brewing at the Pabst Mansion and it's not just beer!

Pabst Mansion, built in 1892. Budget was $50,000, final cost: a quarter of a million. 

The Pabst Mansion may owe much of its existence to a fortune made from a cold brew, but this Gilded Age home shows evidence the owners enjoyed a hot brew as well. 

Last week, we visited Milwaukee's late 19th century showpiece, toured its three floors - including a peek at an original blue ribbon bottle - and came home with the tea:  specifically, "Mrs. Pabt's Pink Parlor" herbal blend.

Mrs. Pabst's Pink Parlor tea - a name inspired by parlor decor?

The home is a showcase of fine artisans, high-end materials and some over-the-top embellishments, though the pink parlor - a room that would go toe-to-toe with any Barbie dollhouse decor - is not the "fault" of the original owners. Per our tour guide, during the mansion's restoration, the original material for drapes and upholstery was sourced and sent to a company that specializes in custom vintage furnishings. Unfortunately, the pink lining was thought to be the outer layer as the order apparently didn't specify. So, rather than an earthy-hue overtone, the parlor is now bathed in bright pink until time and funds deem a change.

Pink Parlor:  Drapes and upholstery covered in pink lining by mistake. 

It did find purpose, however, in inspiring a Pabst tea blend and, in our humble opinion, it makes a great backdrop for a beautiful silver tea set. 

Beautiful silver tea set pairs nicely with pink backdrop.

Though much of the Gilded Age focus skews New York and Newport, it's always a treat to find a late 19th century gem in our own Midwest. The Pabst Mansion was built in 1892 for Captain and Maria Pabst with a budget of $50,000. At completion, the final cost came to just over a quarter of a million. (One wonders, did the project manager keep their job?)

Front foyer with stage where musicians & the Captain sat to greet guests. Maria's chair is off to the side.

Roots and Beer:

The Pabst fortune came primarily from the beer business, but the Captain didn't start as a brewer. As his title suggests, he began a career, at the age of 14, on a Lake Michigan steamer just a few years after immigrating from Germany with his parents. Not long after working his way up to captain, he met Maria Best, whose father owned Phillip Best Brewing Company. Eventually, Frederick bought the company and changed the name to the one we still recognize today.

Frederick and Maria had ten children, five who reached adulthood. The family home was close to the brewery, but Frederick had his sights set on one day building a grand estate on Milwaukee's Grand Avenue (now Wisconsin Avenue). While the children were mostly leaving the nest, the Pabst were great entertainers and used their new home to host events and parties.

One of the many bedrooms in the Pabst Mansion. The home had electricity and indoor plumbing. 

Delightful Mansion Features:

• ·       The front hallway features a massive antler embellished chandelier and a raised platform where musicians could play and the Captain would sit, in throne-like fashion, to greet guests. Mrs. Pabst had a chair, off stage, nearby.

  ·       All the bedrooms had their own bathrooms.

  ·       The house had electricity and indoor plumbing.

Each bedroom was an ensuite!

 

Return to its origins:

Following the deaths of the Captain and Maria, 1904 and 1906 respectively, the descendants sold the mansion to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee and it served as the archbishop's residence until 1975. It was eyed for parking lot by a neighboring hotel, but after a three-year crusade for its preservation, it was spared demolition. It became an award-winning museum and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Dining room: the first room to be restored in 1984.

Restoration is still an ongoing process. Prior to becoming a protected museum, it had suffered years of several coats of white paint - over paneling, over fixtures, over glass. Though it seems a travesty to whitewash such treasures, our tour guide did offer some insight. It may have been a quick and economical way to mitigate much of the cigar smoke that permeated the interiors. 

An original Pabst Blue ribbon bottle adorned with its own blue ribbon.

Give yourself a Blue Ribbon:

One of the original blue ribbon-adorned signature bottles can still be seen in the home today. Inside the pantry, behind the refrigerator door, one can view an early Pabst Blue Ribbon beer - only, per our tour guide, it never officially received an award. Pabst deigned his eponymous brew as award worthy and employed a staffer whose only job was to tie blue ribbons on each bottle. 

Blue beer and Pink tea:

We won't quarrel with the worthiness of either Pabst hot or cold brew - it's all great, including our tour. We give a gold medal to the Gilded Age Mansion adventure in Milwaukee!