Taxpayer-owned Milwaukee museums aim to reinvent themselves
Charles Allis Art Museum and Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum., a pair of taxpayer-owned museums, are trying to better define their missions.
Wochit
The fates of the east side’s Charles Allis Art Museum and Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum have been decided — almost.
Local friends group Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens, formerly known as the Friends of Villa Terrace, cinched a three-year lease for $1 per year to manage and operate the Villa Terrace, according to an informational report released by the county’s Department of Administrative Services. Milwaukee County will not be responsible for the maintenance of the property, but will continue to provide property insurance, per the lease agreement.
The same cannot quite be said for Charles Allis. The museum’s board, nonprofit Charles Allis Villa Terrace Inc., negotiated and approved the terms of their lease earlier this year. However, its execution was delayed over concerns about the viability of the organization and the the resignation of two board members.
The county requested the board provide additional information about the viability of the organization, including revised capital improvement, business and fundraising plans, by the end of August, according to the report.
Built in the early 1900s, the Charles Allis and Villa Terrace museums have been owned by Milwaukee County since 1979 and 1966, respectively. Starting in 2012, both sites were staffed and operated by the nonprofit Charles Allis Villa Terrace Inc., while the county remained responsible for building maintenance. Since the early ’90s, Villa Terrace Museum and Gardens has provided fundraising support for the museum and care for its gardens.
Between 2007 and 2024, the county allocated $2.04 million to capital needs to both Charles Allis and Villa Terrace.
The future of the two museums was thrown into question last year when supervisors flagged the two sites as fiscal burdens on the cash-strapped county. At the time, county officials floated several ideas, including selling one or both of the museums. The move also came as other Milwaukee cultural institutions faced uncertain funding in future years, including the Mitchell Park Domes, Milwaukee Public Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum and Marcus Performing Arts Center.
In December, the county approved entering into negotiations to transfer the museums out of county ownership and end county-related funding.
What are the terms of the Villa Terrace agreement?
Villa Terrace, 2220 N Terrace Ave, was the home of Lloyd and Agnes Smith, who were inspired to build an Italian Renaissance-style residence in 1923. Lloyd Smith was president of Milwaukee’s A.O. Smith Corp. Agnes Smith gifted the home to Milwaukee County in 1966. The site holds a more than 800-piece art collection, which includes the world’s largest collection of work by Austria-born metalsmith Cyril Colnik.
Per its agreement, the county will provide friends group Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens $112,554 in 2025 and $40,000 in 2026, 2027, and 2028 to ensure fiscal sustainability of the group’s operations. Operating dollars for 2025 have already been provided.
The county will also contribute $1.2 million over a three-year period, starting in 2026, with an annual allotment of $400,000. To prove eligibility, the friends group must annually provide proof of capital and maintenance funds totaling 400,000 by July of this year, $800,000 by July 2026, and $1.2 million by July 2027.
At the time of the report, the friends group has raised about $3.1 million, with it being pledged toward its $5 million goal. Villa Terrace has traditionally secured revenue through renting out the space for weddings and other events over the years.
Where does the future of Charles Allis stand?
The Charles Allis Museum, 1801 N. Prospect Ave., was built for and the home of Charles Allis, the first president of the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, and his wife, Sarah E.B. Allis. The museum’s collection, compiled by the couple during their expansive travels across the world, consists of 800 objects, including porcelains, ceramics, antiquities and paintings dating back centuries. The county took over ownership from the City of Milwaukee in 1979.
The lease agreement between the county and the Charles Allis board is in a final draft form. If signed, the board will enter into a one-year lease for $1 to manage and operate the Charles Allis. The county will not be responsible for any maintenance of the property during the lease period, but will continue to provide insurance, per the agreement.
The board must also meet an Aug. 31 deadline to provide the County Board additional information and updates about its efforts to hire an executive director, maintain its board members, public programming and use metrics, a revised business plan with fundraising and revenue goals, as well as a preliminary capital improvement plan.
The county’s contributions agreement is being updated. As a show of support, the first and second quarterly payments for 2025 were given to the Charles Allis board, according to the report. The county will also provide the third and fourth quarterly 2025 payments.
The total operating dollars for 2025 are roughly $112,000. If the board meets the requirements in the contribution agreement, including taking transfer of the museum’s home and collection, the county will give the board $185,000 in 2026, $165,000 in 2027, and $150,000 in 2028 in order to assure the fiscal sustainability of its operations.
The Charles Allis board will need to make funding goals of $100,000 in 2025, $125,000 in 2026, and $150,000 in 2027 in order to receive the county’s operating contribution the following year.
The county will also contribute $250,000 in 2026 and $250,000 in 2027 in capital funding, if the Charles Allis board takes transfer of the house and Collection.
If the Charles Allis board does not take transfer of the building and collection per its option agreement, the Villa Terrace friends group has agreed to take the building and Allis Collection with trust monies at the county’s request.
