National Register of Historic Places

Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment

Fox Point, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Listed
October 2, 2005
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
05001109

About this property

The Mary Nohl Art Environment (also called the Fox Point Art Yard, Fox Point Witch's house and Mary Nohl's house) is a residence in the Milwaukee suburb of Fox Point, Wisconsin. The property, which is filled with folk art created by artist Mary Nohl (1914–2001), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mary's father Leo, a Milwaukee attorney, and his wife Emma bought the lot along Lake Michigan in 1924, and the family enjoyed summers there in a prefab cottage through the 1920s. In 1940 the parents expanded the cottage into a year-round home, adding the house between the cottage and the garage. Shortly after, Mary moved back to Milwaukee and moved into the house with her parents. After a couple years of teaching art in Milwaukee she resigned, and settled in to producing art at her pottery studio in Whitefish Bay, and at her jewelry studio in her parents' home. After the death of her parents, a sizable inheritance left Mary Nohl the chance to create artworks. She used concrete and found objects such as driftwood, wire and glass to build sculptures. In addition, the exterior and interior of the house are colorfully decorated. Hundreds of works have been cataloged. Following Nohl's death, the embellished home and sculpture garden were given to the Kohler Foundation for preservation. In 2012, it was transferred to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. After a fruitless, decade-long struggle with the residents of Fox Point to allow limited access by the public, the foundation decided to move the house and its art to a site in Sheboygan County. The house was to be dismantled, starting in the summer of 2014, and rebuilt, at a cost of between one and two million dollars, but the plan was eventually canceled. As of April 2015, the house will remain in Fox Point and is expected to be restored. In addition to her home and artwork, her estate of over $11 million was left to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, which administers the Mary Nohl Foundation to provide arts education for children, and the Mary Nohl Fellowship artists' scholarships among other activities. A biography, Mary Nohl - Inside & Outside, written and designed by Barbara Manger and Janine Smith, respectively, was published in 2008.

Location

7328 N. Beach Rd.
Fox Point, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
43.15021, -87.89208

Categories

ART
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment

This page lists Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Adelman, Albert and Edith, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Meyer, Starke, House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Elderwood
Industrial
1.6 mi
Ullius, Fred W., Jr., House
Industrial
2.1 mi
Hatch, Horace W., House
Industrial
2.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment listed on the National Register?

Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 2, 2005.

What type of historic resource is Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment?

Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment?

The period of significance for Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Milwaukee County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Milwaukee County.

Explore MilwaukeeCounty ›

More historic places in Wisconsin

Browse all historic places in Wisconsin.

View Wisconsinhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Wisconsin history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Wisconsinhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Nohl, Mary L., Art Environment will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report