Pabst Mansion decks the halls for Christmas Twilight Tours

The Pabst Mansion is celebrating the holiday season again this year with their popular Christmas Twilight Tours that decorates the former beer baron’s home as it appeared in the Victorian Age.

Visitors can experience the Mansion by the glow of the original light fixtures and illuminated Christmas trees. These evening open houses include self-guided tours where guests can explore each beautifully decorated room filled with holiday cheer.

“Jodi Rich-Bartz, the Pabst Mansion’s curator, oversees the Herculean effort to transform three floors of the Pabst Mansion into ‘A Grand Avenue Christmas,’ a process that takes a very intense two and a half weeks. Nancy Kruschke magically transforms the first floor of the Mansion into a Victorian-inspired Christmas fantasy,” said John Eastberg, executive director of the Pabst Mansion. “The result is something that is enjoyed by thousands each year and now generations of families have made a visit to the Pabst part of their holiday tradition.”

Nancy Kruschke returns to the Pabst Mansion for her 13th year as the lead decorator for the nationally recognized holiday display A Grand Avenue Christmas. Bringing her eye for color and attention to detail to the grandest of the Pabst Mansion’s rooms, her work creates truly spectacular scenes that receive accolades annually from visitors and media alike! In addition to sharing her talent with the Pabst Mansion, Nancy is the lead designer for the Streets of Old Milwaukee holiday display at the Milwaukee Public Museum. She has been referred to as Milwaukee’s exclusive ambassador of Victorian Christmas.

Nancy has a BA degree in Art & Design from Mount Mary University. She has over 30 years of experience as an exhibit artist at the Milwaukee Public Museum designing, installing and maintaining both in-house and traveling exhibits. In addition, she has worked as a floral designer for weddings and special events, and as a set/costume/prop designer for community theater groups and Lake Shore Dance Company.

The Christmas Twilight Tours are special evenings that occur during “A Grand Avenue Christmas” being held until January 7, 2018 at the Pabst Mansion. Generations of families have come to the Mansion to bask in the splendor of the holiday decorations and of the house itself.

“It is hard to believe, but this is the twenty-fifth Christmas I have experienced at the Pabst Mansion. The first time I ever visited the Pabst Mansion was the Christmas of 1992,” added Eastberg. “What did make a huge impression on me was Greg Filardo’s presentation of antique musical instruments in the Master Suite.”

The Pabst Mansion, Milwaukee’s most legendary residential landmark, was built by the famed brewing family between 1890 and 1892. It remains one of the largest and most expensive houses to have ever been constructed in the city. Filled with rich details executed in wood, stained glass and wrought iron, the Pabst Mansion is further enhanced by original furnishings and an exceptional collection of fine and decorative arts.