Amid all the waterslides and souvenir photo booths, it can be hard to imagine the Wisconsin Dells possessing a history. They do, though, and a recent addition to the area’s dining scene not only adds a much-needed upscale option but also brings that past to vivid life.
Dawn Manor opened on the shores of Mirror Lake in May, in a home built in 1855 by Abraham Vanderpoel, a signer of the Wisconsin state constitution. Originally located a few miles away, the Potsdam sandstone structure was purchased by Uphoff Ventures in 2018, disassembled, and then restored at its current site. “You won’t find another dining experience with a similar setting,” says Bill Wilson, Dawn Manor’s general manager. “It’s so unique.”
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In addition to the stone frame, many of the house’s interior features, including pocket doors and stained glass, are original, while the needed renovations were made in keeping with the home’s historic character. “Every detail was thoughtfully designed to honor the eras of the past,” says Steve Uphoff, CEO of Uphoff Ventures.
Each of the five dining rooms pays tribute to an aspect of the building’s history, for example. The Raab Room is dedicated to former owners George and Helen Raab, while the Frank Lloyd Wright Room honors Wisconsin’s most famous architect, a good friend of the Raabs. Any 170-year-old home has likely acquired a few spectral guests over the years, and diners who are feeling adventurous might consider requesting a table in the Haunted Room. The restaurant isn’t purely a restoration, however, and Uphoff has added some Dells-appropriate features to the building, like a basement speakeasy and a deck overlooking the lake.
While the house is now firmly established in its new home, the menu is still settling into its foundation. The Crispy Brussels Sprouts sat slightly soggy in a Sriracha maple puddle, while a cloyingly sweet pecan Frangelico butter sauce completely overpowered a potato-crusted walleye filet.
Other offerings made up for those misses, however. A complimentary shot of Tattersall Distillery’s Dream Soda provided a delightful start to the meal, like drinking butterscotch candy, and the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese and finished with a balsamic reduction were a lovely balance of sweet and savory. The surprise standout, though, was the restaurant’s signature Honest Abe All-American: cheddar-stuffed meatloaf served with sauteed vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes, and mac ‘n’ cheese. On paper, that’s a satisfying if unexciting meal, but Dawn Manor’s chefs seem to have found a way to cycle those childhood comfort foods through several rounds of evolution, turning them into something worth ditching the swimsuit and putting on a tie or heels for.
Ultimately, what makes Dawn Manor such a welcome addition to the Wisconsin dining scene is the many stories the home contains, which paint the Dells in a new, sepia-toned light. Wandering the halls with a pre-dinner cocktail and perusing the old framed photos, letters, and news articles that tell the home’s many stories makes for a truly unique restaurant experience. Tales of the former owner Helen Raab in particular prove a superb source of dinner conversation. A great patron of the arts, she produced her own literary publication, had a nephew who was a National Interscholastic Fancy Diving champion, and owned a donkey named Danny Boy, who, upon his death, became the only American donkey for whom the Donkey Club of Sussex, England, ever lowererd its flag to half-mast.
