The Executive Residence, known better as the Governor's Mansion, is located at 99 Cambridge Road in the Village of

Maple Bluff, Wisconsin Maple Bluff is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2010 census. A suburb of Madison, it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Maple Bluff is the site of the Wisconsin Governor's Ma ...

(a suburb of the state capital of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

), on the eastern shore of

Lake Mendota 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 Bl ...

. It is currently the official residence of Wisconsin Governor

Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 200 ...

. 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 Drumthwacket ( ) is the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. The mansion sits at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton, near the state capital of Trenton. It is one of only four official governor's residences in the country not locat ...

, located in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, instead of Trenton; the

Ohio Governor's Mansion The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden is the official residence of the governor of Ohio. The residence was built during 1923–1925 by industrialist Malcolm D. Jeffrey and has served as the official home of the governor since 1957. T ...

, located in suburban

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Char ...

outside

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

; and the

Tennessee Governor's Mansion 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 ...

, located in Oak Hill, just outside

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

History

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 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 sandsto ...

. Architect Frank Riley of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, designed the mansion in the southern

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style. The Residence sits on along Lake Mendota. Although it was renovated extensively during the 1960s, the Residence now is much as Johnson planned originally. The more than 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. There are 10 major garden areas, including a screened-in gazebo and winding walkways that lead to the lake shore.

Public access

An estimated 20,000 visitors a year pass through the doors for receptions, dinners, meetings, and public tours. Governor

is the 15th governor to live in the Executive Residence. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Solar power

In 2009, then Governor

Jim Doyle James Edward Doyle, Jr., (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. In his first election to the governorship, he defeated incu ...

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.

Administration

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 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 Lieuten ...

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 The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...

at the request of Dorothy Knowles, the wife of Governor

Warren Knowles Warren Perley Knowles III (August 19, 1908 – May 1, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician, and was the 36th Governor of Wisconsin. Prior to that, he was the 32nd and 34th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, and represented St. Croix, ...

. 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.

References

External links

Wisconsin Executive Residence
- visiting information
Wis. Dept. of Administration's Residence websiteState Capital and Executive Residence Board
{{US Governor Mansions Governors' mansions in the United States

Mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...