The historic Rahr-Vilas Mansion should have elevator service by the middle of the year.
Rahr West Art Museum Director Greg Vadney tells Seehafer News that plans call for a six-stop elevator.
“It sticks out because the mansion is four floors and the 1975 addition that extends out into their gallery space is two stories and those aren’t on the same level of the house, so you have six total stories.”
Current plans are to have the elevator on the south side of the mansion completed by the end of June. And, Vadney explains the “end result is pure access.”
He detailed that increased access, saying, “There are so many people who come to the museum and whether they’re in a wheelchair, a family with kids in strollers or maybe just people who have enjoyed the museum for many years but their legs aren’t what they used to be and they can’t do the big staircases to get a view of the mansion.”
He added, “this elevator is going to give them the open door and that’s fantastic.”
Vadney says it’ll also trigger some renovation work in the next few years to open up new parts of the museum. He stated the third floor of the museum, which is currently not open to the public, will be rehabbed and opened for public viewing in the coming years.
Funding for the project comes from a special state Community Development Building Grant which is administered through the City of Manitowoc.
