Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens, the nonprofit operating the
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, has raised more than $3.6 million since it launched a capital campaign in January.
VTMG, formerly known as
Friends of Villa Terrace, is looking to raise $5 million in total to fund the museum’s restoration and updates. Its current fundraising pace has surpassed the $1.2 million needed to secure matching funding from Milwaukee County over the next three years.
Milwaukee County still owns the museum but is leasing the property, located at 2220 N. Terrace Ave., to VTMG for three years. The county has provided $112,554 toward operating costs this year.
To receive $1.2 million in county funding across 2026, 2027 and 2028, VTMG must annually provide proof of fundraising totaling $400,000 by July 2025, $800,000 by July 2026 and $1.2 million by July 2027, according to county documents.
Bruce Smith, retired CEO of
Smith Investment Company, and
Roger Smith, retired director of community affairs for
A. O. Smith Corp., are co-chairs for the capital campaign. Bruce and Roger are directors of the
A. O. Smith Foundation. They are also grandsons of the museum’s original owners, Lloyd and Agnes Smith.
More than 55 donors have contributed to VTMG’s capital campaign. The A. O. Smith Foundation and 20 members of the Smith Family have contributed to the campaign, according to a news release.
“As a group, the Smiths at large have contributed to this campaign because Villa Terrace represents our family’s history and the industrial history of Milwaukee,” Bruce and Roger Smith said in a news release. “It is also the only surviving David Adler designed home left in Wisconsin. Its unique architecture is significant for historians, students and the general public. The Renaissance Gardens are splendid and provide an oasis of beauty within the city. We are very encouraged and grateful to all the donors who also want to preserve and protect this Museum and Gardens for the future.”
According to a news release, VTMG’s restoration plan for the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum includes:
- Accessibility improvements, such as adding an elevator, signage and transport to lower gardens
- Concrete replacement
- Kitchen/butler’s pantry upgrade
- Masonry/tuckpointing/ironwork
- Painting/flooring revitalization
- Restroom improvements
- Upgrade to HVAC system
- Waterproofing and drainage
VTMG also plans to create an education center in the museum’s lower level.
Charles Allis Villa Terrace formerly operated the museum from 2012 to 2024. In August,
VTMG and other groups came forward with proposals for the future of the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. The county favored VTMG’s proposal to keep the museum open to the public, which involves transferring ownership of the Villa Terrace to VTMG. CAVT continues to separately operate the Charles Allis Art Museum.
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