Black Point (Linn, Wisconsin)
Black Point | |
| Location | 580 S. Lake Shore Dr. (Pier 580), Linn, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°33′29″N 88°30′39″W / 42.55806°N 88.51083°W |
| Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | Adolph Cudell |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001147[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 15, 1994 |
Black Point is an estate on the south shore of Geneva Lake in Linn, Wisconsin, United States, near the city of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin that was built in 1888 as a summer home by Conrad Seipp, a beer tycoon from Chicago.[2] It has also been known as Conrad and Catherine Seipp Summer House and as Die Loreley[1]
Style
The Queen Anne style mansion features a nautical-themed, four-story, "crow's nest" observation tower, which can be seen from many points on the lake; the property also features post-civil war-era furniture.
History
It was designed by Adolph Cudell for Conrad Seipp, successful beer maker from Chicago and built in 1888. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[1]
The state of Wisconsin owns the property and leases it to the Black Point Historic Preserve, a nonprofit organization which manages the property for public tours, which began in June 2007.[3]
Museum
The estate and its grounds, including 620 feet of shoreline, are protected from future development by a conservation easement co-held by the Geneva Lake Conservancy, a local not-for-profit conservation organization,[4] and the Preserve.[5]
In 2013, the site became a property of the state of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Historical Society. Great grandson of the original owner, William O. Petersen, donated the site in a process beginning in 1993[6] and was completed on September 26, 2005.[5]
The terms of its use as a museum were settled between the state and neighbors in Lake Geneva who feared tour buses filling the area. The museum is accessible by boat on Lake Geneva, which is how it was originally accessed, there having been no road access in 1888.[7]
References
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Lake Geneva website re mansions". Archived from the original on December 17, 2010.
- ^ "Lake Geneva tour website". Archived from the original on March 25, 2007.
- ^ "Geneva Lake Conservancy website".
- ^ a b "Geneva Lake Conservancy". September 26, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2006.
- ^ "Black Point Estate Historic Home". State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ Clark, Brian E. (June 21, 2013). "Black Point Estate shows the joys of Lake Geneva". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
External links
- Black Point Estate - Wisconsin Historical Society
- Levine, Leslie (May 5, 2006), "A Slice of Wisconsin for Boating and Golf", New York Times
- Magnificent museum: Black Point opens as public treasure after long struggle, Journal Sentinel, July 7, 2007
- Clark, Brian E. (June 21, 2013), "Black Point Estate shows the joys of Lake Geneva", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel