Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens

There’s no place in Milwaukee quite like Villa Terrace. Built in 1923 by Lloyd Raymond Smith and Agnes Smith, the East Side mansion was styled as a 16th century northern Italian villa originally known as Sopra Mare – above the sea in Italian.

Agnes donated Villa Terrace to Milwaukee County in 1966 with the goal of opening the beautiful villa up to the public, and today it is an art museum and event space,. The Villa Terrace board of directors continues operations for the county, hosting exhibitions and events year-round.

“It’s a really amazing space for the public to come in and see not only the museum and gardens, but also an amazing view of the lake,” says Christine McBride, a Villa Terrace board member.

Every Sunday, Yoga on the Terrace precedes Cafe Sopra Mare – a free summer concert series – and includes free admission to Villa Terrace’s galleries and garden.  

“We believe that we are fulfilling the legacy of the Smith family, of wanting to open [the Villa] up to more people,” says Barbara Velez, a Villa Terrace board member. “We have a civic responsibility to nurture, protect and preserve, but also to present Villa Terrace to the public.” 

This August, Villa Terrace will be hosting a new movie night. A screen will be set up in the garden playing one children’s movie early in the night, followed by a movie for adults. Other popular events hosted at Villa Terrace include a three-day Chamber Music Festival in August; Villa Luna, a celebration of the harvest moon in September; and a Mystery & Mayhem event in October.

“The Villa is a historic monument to Wisconsin’s past, but also a looking glass into the future,” Velez says.