Talk Back Chapter Two: Collection
Aug 29, 2024 | Feb 16, 2025
Sarah Esther Ball — “Sadie” to her friends — was born on Nov. 9 in East Troy, Wisconsin in 1853 to Edward Hyde Ball and his wife, Sarah Eusilia Cobb. She moved to Milwaukee with her parents and sisters in 1861. Sarah grew up in Milwaukee. She was an active member of her community and loved the city, though she went on to travel far and wide.
The Allis family traces its roots to a passenger on the third voyage of the Mayflower in 1630. The Allis name made its way to Milwaukee two centuries later, when Edward Phelps Allis — after graduating college at the age of 21 — moved from his hometown of Cazenovia, New York to Milwaukee in the spring of 1846. Charles Allis was born in 1853 in Milwaukee, the third of E.P and Margaret’s twelve children.
In 1911, Sarah and Charles built a residence on Royall Place and Prospect Avenue — in the heart of Milwaukee’s “Gold Coast” — to house their world-class art collection. Their intention was to bequeath their home and collection to the people of Milwaukee.
But Charles and Sarah Allis are not the only Milwaukeeans key to the museum’s story. As they contemplated the building of their residence, the couple was drawn to English design, a nod to their English heritage. This led them to Alexander Chadbourne Eschweiler, a prominent Milwaukee architect who designed many lavish city residences — some in carefully executed Tudor style.
After moving to Milwaukee in 1846, E.P. Allis quickly established himself in business, eventually buying the Reliance Iron Works at a sheriff’s sale in 1861. The firm quickly grew from 75 employees to over 1,500. Reliance eventually became the Edward P. Allis Company, which supplied the water pipes and pumping stations for Milwaukee’s first public water system. In 1888, they built a pump for drawing water from the lake to “flush” the Milwaukee River.
Hours
Thursday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Special events occasionally affect these hours.
The museum is closed on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day.
Enter the museum through the coach-house door on the Royall Place driveway.
Admission
We recommend that museum tickets be purchased in advance. The first Thursday of the month is always free.
Admission is free for members (Join here.)
Originally, this space functioned as the Allis’ front entrance hall, where visitors to the mansion were received before meeting with the Allises. The Marble Hall’s name derives from the four Italian marbles covering the walls and floor. Marble craftsmen from Italy were brought over to install it. The use of marble in the entrance deviates from the traditional Tudor-style entryway.
There is a marble fountain in front of the south window of the Dining Room that was purchased at an exhibition in Paris. It’s dated sometime between 1875 and 1900. The fountain was plumbed and fully functional, and is signed by the artist. The original operating instructions are included in Charles’ correspondence with his dealers and include detailed drawings.
This is the original entrance to the Allis’ home. The front door is made of bronze and the enclosed porch is walled with Lake Superior sandstone. The sandstone was chosen to create passive heat retention in this outer vestibule. The woodwork is quarter-sawn oak. On display are two baptismal fonts.
The billiards room located in the basement of the home once contained Charles’ billiards table, one lane of bowling, and the mansion’s wine cellar. Off the room is a full bathroom featuring the original spa shower.
Charles Allis began accumulating his vast collection while still a young man, interested in many cultures from around the world. Working with various art dealers, he educated himself reading books about art, and he researched each purchase diligently.
