1924 South Milwaukee English Tudor says ‘garden’ inside and out
SOUTH MILWAUKEE — Brad McKendry’s 1924 English Tudor is filled with flowers outside and inside.
Outside, large garden beds accent the front of his home, and in the back he has flowers galore plus two waterfalls with koi ponds, large pieces of garden art, a white gazebo with hanging baskets, and a white Victorian garden shed that once was a four-legged treehouse.
The entire backyard is also enclosed by a short sitting wall made of Lannon stone that is topped by iron fences he hand-crafted.
Inside his home there are flowers on walls and ceiling in the form of wallpaper and paint, but floral prints also can be found on furnishings, carpeting and accent pieces.
While he did have input into the gardens and the way the interior of his home is decorated, he credits his late wife, Peg, with being the mastermind.
“Behind every successful man is a woman pushing him,” he said, laughing. “She was the driving force behind the gardens because I was busy with my business.”
But she clearly pushed him gently, and in a direction he still enjoys.
He is now retired but owned a crane company. His wife taught school in her early years, but later spent her time taking care of their two boys and two girls and doing volunteer work.
McKendry said his gardens will be featured in this year’s 10th Annual South Milwaukee Historical Society Garden Tour on June 23, and that he decided to open them to the public as a tribute to his wife.
But first, he had to get them back in shape.
“My wife was sick for a number of years and during the last five years I wasn’t able to do much in the gardens,” he said. “When we gardened, I did all the heavy lifting and she did the planning and planting.”
To restore the gardens to their former glory he contacted Milaeger’s and asked them to help him select and install plants that would thrive in his partially shady yard. But in doing so, he made sure the look of the English-style garden his wife designed was maintained.
“They did a great job. Peg would love it,” he said. “We maintained her vision of the gardens. I added a lot of perennials but also some annuals for color.”
He also maintained much of the original hardscaping in the backyard. Elements included a meandering flagstone pathway flanked by Lannon stone half walls that are interspersed with pedestals for pots and wrought iron arches he made at entrance points to the patio, front yard and side yard that support climbing roses.
He’s also partial to a patio made of red brick off the back of his home.
“I got these 6-inch pavers that were taken out of the streets where the street cars were years ago. They were being dumped. I got over 2,000 of them. I think they were from a quarry in Redgranite,” he said.
In that area he put groupings of white metal tables and chairs for when he entertains his children and four grandchildren, who range in age from 1 1⁄2 to 6 years. “Those kids are the pride and joy of my life. Grandchildren are so special,” he said.
Inside the home, which he and his wife bought in 1968, rooms were decorated mainly in a Victorian style with the help of various interior designers and were updated over the years. But about 85% of what is now there was done over a period of 10 years starting in the early ’90s with the help of the late Florence Schroeder, a local interior designer who was instrumental in saving the Pabst Mansion.
He recently talked about the upcoming tour while he puttered in the garden.
Question: Did you make the decorative gate that leads to the backyard?
Answer: No. We got that in New Orleans. It was said to be from a voodoo cemetery.
Q: Did you design your waterfalls and ponds?
A: No. I worked with professionals. But the large one was patterned after one at a favorite childhood place where Peg picnicked. It was at South Woods Park, a nature study area in Ripon. It’s very much like that one only smaller.
Q: What are your favorite areas in your home or yard?
A: I like to sit by the back pond or in the gazebo, especially when there is a bird migration. I have four feeders. I feed my birds all year.
I also enjoy sitting in the TV room on
the second floor. I recently redid that room, and it is octagon-shaped so I can see in all the directions. I love to sit up there with the blinds open and watch thunderstorms.
That room has a tall pointed wood ceiling that is (also) octagon-shaped and is made of natural cherry. It’s 19 feet at the highest point. I recently took the wallpaper off in there and I’m having it faux-painted.
Q: What look did you select for the walls?
A: It’s amber with tones of reddishbrown. It looks like cracked leather. Artist Linda Freund is doing the work. Much of the inspiration for designs in this home came from our involvement in the theater. I help build sets for the In Tandem Theater, and I met Linda there and asked her to do the walls.
Q: Did you make structural changes to your home?
A: We put a two story addition on the back of the house in 1991 that doubled the space. Now it’s about 2,500 square feet. We added some arched doorways and decorative molding in a number of rooms. We put it on the walls, ceilings and even on some of the furniture to customize it.
We got it from Enkelboll, an online store that has a showroom in California. It’s all real wood, and they make all different kinds of molding and accent pieces.
Q: You have unique light fixtures. Where did you get them?
A: From Brass Light Gallery. We were told that many of them were from Europe and that some of them came out of castles or hotels.
Q: You have beautiful rugs throughout your home. Where did you get them?
A: They are all Persian rugs, and they all were made by the same family. We had them custom-ordered to match the colors of the rooms we put them in. We ordered them through Shabahang rugs in Whitefish Bay.
Q: What do you call the small room off the dining room?
A: Peg called it the conversation room. We put a desk in there, and she used it when she sent cards to people, and she did a lot of volunteer work in there. This used to be a screened-in porch. When we added the addition, we enclosed this room. We added the arched doorway and leaded glass windows to match the other windows in the house.
Q: Did you make all the ironwork inside your home?
A: Yes. I made a curved railing for a little Romeo and Juliet porch on the second floor. I also made all the railings and accent pieces. Working with iron was always a pastime for me.
Q: How did you design your kitchen?
A: That was part of the addition. We added hand-painted Italian tiles that were designed to go with the wallpaper, which was custom-made. It’s all white with a bead board ceiling. I put speakers for music in the ceiling and added crown and dental molding. We have white appliances and white ceramic tile flooring.
Q: What pieces are in your garden room?
A: We have natural Wakefield wicker furniture from the early 1900s. We got it in Illinois at a wicker dealer. We bought the three main pieces (a settee and two chairs), but the dealer later found the washstand and table that went with it, so we bought those, too.
That room has green clay floor tiles, and the walls are painted with flowers that climb up and around the doors and windows. Do you, or does someone you know, have a cool, funky or exquisite living space that you’d like to see featured in At Home? Contact Fresh home and garden editor Nancy Stohs at (414) 224-2382 or email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.