Tag Archives: Madison

Madison Trust for Historic Preservation

I went on a tour for the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation this morning. I had picked up a brochure earlier this year at the library. I always thought it would be a good way to learn about my new town but I never got around to it. My aunt is somewhat active with historic architecture in the Milwaukee area so when she decided to visit me today I thought it was a good idea.

This tour was of the Westmorland neighborhood. It was a suburb back in the day but is now firmly in Madison. It has houses ranging from about 1916 to the 1960s if I recall correctly. Some of the notable houses were a Frank Lloyd Wright, a few Sears & Roebuck mail order catalog houses, and a Lustron house. The last one was new to me. It is a house made out of enameled steel. The outside has porcelain and never needs painting.

Lustron House)
Picture from Wikipedia

Apparently if you want to hang something on the walls you need a magnet. But the roofs have lasted 50 years+ without a leak.

The neighboring house from my childhood home is a Sears house and it still has the original copper(?) roof. It is a big brick house while the Sears houses on this tour are smaller. I also learned that there were over 400 models of Sears houses to choose from. Very interesting.

These tours change from week to week. Most are downtown and last about an hour. I learned a lot, walked a bit, and now know more about the city. You should check it out. They have a web presence: Madison Trust for Historic Preservation

Art Fair on the Square 2013

I went to the Art Fair on the Square here in Madison today with my Aunt. There were some very expensive pieces there! There was also an Art Fair off the Square that featured all Wisconsin artists. Some of my favorite things were the bottle cap furniture pieces and the clocks made out of serving trays. There was a lot of different work in many mediums.
I wonder what it costs to be a vendor on the square? My aunt was talking to a hat seller and she said that she had by trying to get on the list for 13 years! It was busy when we were there. There were a lot of people looking, but I didn’t notice as much buying.
I am glad I went once but I don’t think it is something that I will need to do again.