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The Paine Estate |
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| Welcome to the Paine History of the Paine Mansion Introduction Tour the Mansion Gardens Introduction Tour the Gardens |
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| MANSION INTRODUCTION |
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| Nathan and Jessie Paine created an estate that reflects pride in their English heritage and Wisconsin home. Much of the estate’s architecture, décor, artworks, and landscaping derives from English country houses while utilizing and accentuating the natural resources and beauty of Wisconsin. Architect Bryant Fleming varied the house’s interior and exterior architectural features, such as arches, doorways, columns, window panes, and chimney stacks, to give it the appearance of being built over three centuries in evolving English Tudor and Gothic styles. Mr. Paine played an instrumental role in most details of the estate’s design, décor, and landscaping. He had a keen sense for quality in materials and craftsmanship and acquired the finest domestic stone and wood for the main house. Nearly all of the stonework is Kasota limestone, quarried in Minnesota. In areas inside the house where the limestone is polished, it has a sheen resembling marble. The interior woodwork, mostly of oak and walnut, benefited from Mr. Paine’s profound appreciation for lumber and craftsmanship. Although the mansion was designed to look centuries old, it is in fact a thoroughly modern structure. Beneath the limestone and wooden beams, a steel and concrete substructure renders the building fireproof. The furnishings on the first floor were carefully chosen by Nathan and Jessie with the direction of decorator Phelps Jewett. Because Mr. Paine believed in the quality of the craftsmanship of his time, many of the furnishings are reproductions he commissioned specifically for this house. Their styles mimic various historical periods; some pieces are even upholstered in antique textiles to further the illusion of age. The second floor rooms were not completed during Mr. Paine’s lifetime and only partially finished during Mrs. Paine’s. When the museum first opened, these rooms were not on view. They have been completed or modified over the years to display Paine family heirlooms and donations of furniture and artworks. The rooms and hallways display selections from the Paines’ collection of fine art and decorative objects, most notably, French Barbizon and American landscape paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum’s art collection has also grown through donations and purchases, but continues to reflect the subjects and spirit of the original gift. Although the Paines never lived in the mansion, it was designed to serve as Nathan and Jessie’s home. As a result, the interiors reflect the predominant traditions of their time. First floor rooms were designed to impress visitors. In the Paines’ case, this also included an area open to the public as an art gallery. Upper floors were reserved for private family activities and sleeping rooms. They were typically closed to all but the closest friends and family. Families of the Paines’ stature also employed live-in servants who were accommodated in simply designed, utilitarian parts of the house. Public, private, and service areas are all found in the Paine mansion. Continue to Tour the Mansion Return to the Paine Estate Welcome Page |
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