Doors Open Milwaukee

This year will mark the first time Mount Mary University, a campus with over a hundred years of history, will open up its doors for Doors Open Milwaukee.

Doors Open Milwaukee opens up buildings with architectural, cultural or historical significance to the public that are not normally open for viewing.

Mount Mary was built in 1929 with Lannon stone from the nearby Hartung quarry, now Hartung Park. The bold spirit of the School Sisters of Notre Dame can be seen in the stately bell tower and the old English-style academic buildings.

Doors Open Milwaukee Tours:
September 17, 1 - 4 p.m.
September 18, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Open tours on September 17-18

Tours will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. All tours will last for 15 minutes, and a new tour will begin every half-hour. At 2 p.m. on both days, there will be a special handicap-accessible tour. The last tour for Saturday will be held at 4:30 p.m., and the last tour for Sunday will be held at 2:30 p.m. All tours are free and open to the public.

Some notable stops on the tour of Mount Mary include:

  • History Lesson - Welcome presentation on the history of Mount Mary by Sister Joan Penzenstadler, Vice President for Mission and Identity. She will also be revealing the location of the single gargoyle on Mount Mary's campus.
  • Mount Mary's Oval Office - Look inside of President Eileen Schwalbach's office.
  • Bells to the Sisters - See the location of the old bell system that was used to communicate with the sisters.
  • Hidden Treasures - Stiemke Hall, once the Mount Mary library, has a number of academic-inspired motifs including a hidden owl.

After the tour, participants are welcome to check out the Marian Art Gallery, located on the first floor of Caroline Hall. The current exhibit is Present Tense by Betsy Alwin and Frank Meuschke. Alwin's works incorporates ceramic lace forms into mixed media sculptures. These will be placed alongside Meuschke's landscape photographs.

Parking

Participants should enter campus through North 92nd Street entrance.