The Executive Residence, known better as the Governor's Mansion, is located at 99 Cambridge Road in the Village of Maple Bluff, Wisconsin (a suburb of the state capital of Madison), on the eastern shore of Lake Mendota. It is currently the official residence of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
The Wisconsin Governor's Mansion is one of four governor's residences in the United States not within a state capital's municipal limits, though all of them are located within the county containing the state capital. The others are Drumthwacket, located in Princeton, New Jersey, instead of Trenton; the Ohio Governor's Mansion, located in suburban Bexley outside Columbus; and the Tennessee Governor's Mansion, located in Oak Hill, just outside Nashville.
Construction began in 1920 for Madison industrialist Carl A. Johnson as a home. Twelve years later, it was purchased by Thomas R. Hefty, a Madison banker, who sold it to the State during 1949 for $47,500. Governors of Wisconsin, and their families, have resided in the residence ever since. Up to this time, they had resided in the Old Executive Mansion.
Architect Frank M. Riley of Madison designed the mansion in the southern Classical Revival style. The Residence sits on 3.7 acres (15,000 m2) along Lake Mendota. Although it was renovated extensively during the 1960s, the Residence now is much as Johnson planned originally. The more than 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of living space include 34 rooms, 13 bathrooms and 7 bedrooms and fireplaces. Several items of Wisconsin historical interest may be found throughout the Executive Residence. The wrought-iron fence on the street side of the property originally surrounded the old State Capitol Building. The mansion is wood-framed structure with painted stucco over sandstone and hollow clay tile face. It is three stories high and has a basement level for a total of 23,455 gross square feet. [1] There are 10 major garden areas, including a screened-in gazebo and winding walkways that lead to the lake shore. [1]
An estimated 20,000 visitors a year pass through the doors for receptions, dinners, meetings, and public tours. [2] Governor Tony Evers is the 15th governor to live in the Executive Residence. [2] There is no charge for admission. Groups of 20 or more are required to make a reservation. Public access to the facility is currently limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2009, then Governor Jim Doyle requested the installation of solar panels on the side roof of the governor's mansion. The plan was approved by a board that handles building projects. The panels power the water heater for the residence. [3]
The building is administered by the State Capitol & Executive Residence Board (SCERB), which must approve the annual maintenance budget and major capital improvements. The 16-member State Capitol Executive Residence Board includes 7 citizen members with specified expertise appointed by the governor to serve staggered 6-year terms. The purpose of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board is to: "direct the continuing and consistent maintenance of the property, decorative furniture and furnishings of the Capitol and Executive Residence". The staff of the Residence are part of the Wisconsin Department of Administration's Capitol Bureau Building Management team. An on-site Wisconsin Capitol Police detail guards the building year-round.
The Wisconsin Executive Residence Foundation, a non-profit, raises money to pay for maintenance that SCERB is unable or unwilling to spend state tax dollars on. The Wisconsin Executive Residence Foundation was established during 1964 by act of the Wisconsin Legislature at the request of Dorothy Knowles, the wife of Governor Warren Knowles. She said at the time " the place was a firetrap, we were afraid to move in." After the establishment of the foundation, the Residence received its first major renovation since its purchase during 1949. The Governor's spouse acts as ex-officio chair of the foundation's board.
McFarland is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, situated on the shores of Lake Waubesa to the southeast of Madison. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the village has a population of 9,325. Spanning just under five square miles and encompassing roughly 43.50 miles of roads, it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest. Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following a proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages; Lyman C. Draper, the first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.'
The Memorial Union is located on the shore of Lake Mendota on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. On the lakeshore to the north of the building is the Terrace, a popular outdoor space overlooking the lake. It has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful student centers on a university campus.
Alliant Energy Center is a multi-building complex located in Madison, Wisconsin. It comprises 164 acres (0.66 km2) of greenspace and includes the 255,000-square-foot (23,700 m2) Exhibition Hall, the 10,000-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the 29-acre (0.12 km2) Willow Island, several multi-use pavillions, and the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) Arena. The Center welcomes more than one million people attending more than 500 events annually, ranging from local meetings and banquets to large sporting events and major concerts.
Governor Nelson State Park is a 422-acre (171 ha) Wisconsin state park located outside of Waunakee, Wisconsin in the town of Westport on the north shore of Lake Mendota. It is named for former Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson. On most days the Wisconsin State Capitol building can be seen in nearby Madison. Common activities include boating, fishing, picnicking and swimming. There is also a boat launch and a swimming area for pets. Away from the lake one can find restored prairie and savanna, effigy mounds, hiking trails and ski trails. Governor Nelson State Park is one of the few Wisconsin state parks that does not allow overnight camping.
The Illinois Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Illinois. It is located in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois, near the Illinois State Capitol building, and the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. The Italianate-style Mansion was designed by Chicago architect John M. Van Osdel with a modified I-shaped configuration with a long central section stretching front to back. The 16-room manor was completed in 1855 and was first occupied by governor Joel Matteson, who held the official grand opening on January 10, 1856. It is one of the oldest historic residences in the state of Illinois and one of the three oldest continuously occupied governor's mansions in the United States. In 1898 alterations to the exterior added neoclassical elements. In 1972, the Illinois Governor's Mansion Association was founded as a charitable corporation to assist in the maintenance and programming at the mansion. The Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
First Capitol Historic Site is a free-admission historic museum located outside Belmont, Wisconsin, United States. The museum includes two of the buildings first used by legislators to meet in Wisconsin Territory. Currently owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is an agency of the Wisconsin state government which provides a range of services and programs, from operations, technology, and logistical support for the state, to assistance programs for low-income homes, to state gaming. The department's services to other state agencies and offices include personnel management, payroll, accounting systems, technology solutions, and legal services. The Department is central to the state budget process, advising the Governor and state agencies on their budget submissions and analyzing solutions to fiscal problems. The Department also administers state information systems, procurement policies and contracts, fleet transportation, and risk management, and oversees buildings owned and leased by the state, facilities planning projects, and the Wisconsin Capitol Police. The Department also administers the state's compensation plan, which includes the pay and benefit administration for most state employees.
The Missouri Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S. residence in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is located at 100 Madison Street. On May 21, 1969, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is located in the Missouri State Capitol Historic District.
The Tennessee Governor's Mansion, also known as the Tennessee Residence, in Oak Hill, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, is the official residence of the governor of Tennessee and his or her family. It is a three-story Georgian-style mansion that was built as a private home for William Ridley Wills and his family in 1929. It is on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) tract about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. The state purchased the house in 1949 and it has served as the home of Tennessee's governors since then. The house is open to the public for tours by advance reservation.
The West Virginia Governor's Mansion is a historic residence located next to the Kanawha River in Charleston, West Virginia and is the official residence of the governor of West Virginia.
The Madison Isthmus is where the downtown and near east potion of Madison, Wisconsin is situated, between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. It is located between Madison's northeast side to the east and the University of Wisconsin campus to the west.
Mendota Mental Health Institute (MMHI) is a public psychiatric hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, operated by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission. Portions of the facility are included in the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital Historic District, District #88002183. The Mendota State Hospital Mound Group and Farwell's Point Mound Group are also located at the facility.
The California Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of California, located in Sacramento, the capital of California. Built in 1877, the estate was purchased by the Californian government in 1903 and has served as the executive residence for 14 governors. The mansion was occupied by governors between 1903–1967 and 2015–2019. Since 1967, the mansion has been managed by California State Parks as the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park.
The Robert M. Lamp House is a residence built in 1903 two blocks northeast of the capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his lifelong friend "Robie" Lamp, a realtor, insurance agent, and Madison City Treasurer. The oldest Wright-designed house in Madison, its style is transitional between Chicago School and Prairie School. In 1978 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Wisconsin's Old Executive Residence, known better as the Old Governor's Mansion, is located at 130 East Gilman Street in the Mansion Hill Historic District of Madison, Wisconsin, on the southern shore of Lake Mendota. Constructed of local sandstone sometime around 1854–1856, it served as the official residence of the governor of Wisconsin from 1883 to 1950.
Forward is an 1893 bronze statue by American sculptor Jean Pond Miner Coburn depicting an embodiment of Wisconsin's "Forward" motto. The 1996 replica is located at the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds at the top of State Street. The statue often is misidentified with the Wisconsin statue on top of the Capitol dome.
The John C. Pew House, also known as the Ruth and John C. Pew House, is located at 3650 Lake Mendota Drive, Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin. It was designed by American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright in 1938 for research chemist John Pew and his wife, Ruth. Built on a narrow lot, the two-story home steps down the sloping hill to the shore of Madison's Lake Mendota. A home in Wright's Usonian style, the building was meant to be economical: its cost was US$8,750. Construction was supervised by a member of Wright's Taliesin Fellowship, William Wesley "Wes" Peters. Peters said to Wright about the building that, "I guess you can call the Pew house a poor man's Fallingwater." To which Wright was to have replied, "No, Fallingwater is the rich man's Pew House."
The Lake Mendota Boathouse was a recreational building and storage facility owned by the University of Wisconsin located on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. It was designed and built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright after he was awarded the commission of the building in 1893 based on drawings he submitted to a competition held by the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association. The primary functions of the building were to store recreational equipment and to serve as a viewing deck for "boating events and races that took place on the lake."
The Wisconsin State Capitol Police is a police force maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, and is responsible for policing the Wisconsin State Capitol, state government facilities and the protection of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin.