History
Lloyd Smith (1883–1944) was the president of A.O. Smith Corporation. After returning from a trip to Italy, the Smiths commissioned architect David Adler to design their new home. The architecture and water stairs were inspired by Villa Cicogna Mozzoni (built in the 1560s) in Lombardy, Italy. Smith called the house ''Sopra Mare'', which is Italian for "above the sea." The general form is a rectangle surrounding an open central courtyard. Walls are of red brick that has been painted white. The roof is covered with barrel tile. Inside, the original rooms included a dining room with beamed ceiling of pecky cypress wood, a living room with fireplaces and pegged walnut floor, and a library. With The ironwork in the home is from the Milwaukee studio of Cyril Colnik, an Austrian-born blacksmith. The surrounding bluff is landscaped with terraces and formal gardens, a "water stairway," fishponds, and two secret gardens. Rose Standish Nichols is credited with the original landscape design. No record of her plan for the Smith residence has been found. Lloyd Smith died in 1944. In 1966 the Smith family donated their home to Milwaukee County to serve as a Decorative Arts Museum. Some rooms were converted to offices, but the house and grounds changed little with the transition from home to museum. In 1976, a formal planting of sugar maple bosques with privet hedges and white gravel was installed. Villa Terrace's art collection features fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th through the 19th centuries,Renaissance Garden
In 1997, The Friends of Villa Terrace Board committed themselves to restore the gardens at Villa Terrace. Based on the master plan created by Buettner & Associates, volunteers with the Renaissance Garden Club began two years of site clearing in the spring of 1998. Construction of the gardens began in 2000 and continued for two more years. After four years of work, the gardens officially opened to the public in July 2002.Weddings
Villa Terrace is a popular site for weddings and receptions in Milwaukee. The Italian villa, picturesque garden, unique stairways and breath-taking views of Lake Michigan provide scenery that would otherwise only be attainable by traveling to Europe.See also
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