First, a weather report. Yesterday, it was raining but warm. I woke up this morning to frigid conditions, 28 degrees to be exact. I went out the door and could see my breath. I wasn’t happy.
I set out this morning to spend time at the Franconia Sculpture Park. When I arrived, it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen. The park is fifty acres and cars aren’t allowed. They have golf carts for rent, but the season for them doesn’t start until May. Given the temperature and a stiff wind, I took a quick scan of the work near the parking lot and called it quits.
From there it was on to Menomonie, WI. I had one goal in mind, to see the Mabel Tainter Theater. When I arrived, the friendly docent offered me a tour. She was great, telling me the history as well as showing me every nook and cranny.
The Mabel Tainter Theater is one of those places where personal loss was transformed into something enduring and unexpectedly grand. Built in 1889 by wealthy lumber baron, Andrew Tainter and his wife Bertha, it was conceived as a memorial to their daughter Mabel, who died at age nineteen from “left side cancer” (probably appendicitis). The couple might have created a private tribute, instead their minister inspired them to create a civic gift to honor Mabel’s love of the arts.
Originally the building housed a theater, library, Unitarian meeting place, and a gathering place for Civil War veterans.
Now, more than a century later, it still functions as Menomonie’s artistic center, though it primarily functions as a theater.
The building feels improbably elaborate for its setting. No expense was spared on the interior which has been immaculately maintained. There are richly detailed hand-stenciled walls and ceilings, marble staircases, carved walnut and oak woodwork, gleaming brass fixtures, and stained-glass windows. The theater itself, a 300-seat auditorium, is gorgeous. One of its most distinctive features is the original Steere and Turner pipe organ, with 1,600 pipes, still in place and restored. Originally it was powered by water, now by electricity.
The Mabel Tainter is widely recognized as one of the most spectacular theaters in the world, having been named to CNN Travel’s list of the top 15 in 2014. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a Wisconsin Historical Marker, and is a charter member of the League of Historic American Theatres, distinctions that underscore both its architectural importance and the success of its preservation.
And to think that prior to this trip I’d never heard of it! As someone who has been to most of the grand theaters in New York City, London and across the globe, I can honestly say it deserves all the accolades it has received.
The other surprise of the day was in Wausau, the Leigh Yawley Woodson Art Museum.
Like the Mabel Tainter, this museum began not as a conventional cultural institution, but as an act of remembrance.
Established in 1976 in memory of Leigh Yawkey Woodson, a devoted arts patron and amateur painter who died at age 44, the museum reflects her spirit through its focus on beauty, observation, and connection to the natural world.
Much of its focus is on birds, both paintings and sculpture; there is a lovely sculpture garden attached to the museum. I was surprised to find work by Mary Cassatt, Jamie Wyeth, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joseph Cornell, and other notables. It’s a wonderful collection.
Both institutions are proof that even the most intimate grief can give rise to something that continues to inspire long after the original loss.