The house was built between 1891 and 1893 for Joseph Vilas and his wife Mary at a cost of between $35,000 and $50,000. Joseph Vilas was a merchant and twice the mayor of Manitowoc. The 13-room house was designed by George Ferry and Alfred Clas right before they designed the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The house sat vacant from Vilas' death in 1905 until Rahr Malting President Reinhardt Rahr purchased it in 1910. His widow donated the house to the city of Manitowoc in 1941 to use as a museum.
Rooms
In the house's first floor, the open carriageway entrance was enclosed in 1975. During a 1950 renovation, a modern stained glass entrance was added. It leads to a room which used to consist of two rooms - reception hall and a dining room. A fireplace partition was removed in 1950 to create the single room. The Rahr parlor was used for exhibitions for around 20 years until 1977, when it was restored to its 1910 appearance. The walls are covered in silk and bordered rug and it is furnished with original furniture. The room contains a family photograph and a bronze bust by Reinhardt Rahr. One of six remaining original fireplaces is located in the room, and it contains fluted columns, floral swags, and dentils. An oval mirror is located above it. Three adjacent rooms are used to display art. The John P. Nash memorial library is located at the top of the stairwell on the house's second floor. Originally a bedchamber, the room was renovated in 1995 by donations from Nash's family. The room contains a bay window, mantel, and a marbel wash basin behind a paneled door. The Schwartz Ivories Room was once a dressing or servant's room. It now contains the Simon Schwartz Collection of Chinese Ivories, which was donated to the museum in 1973. The collection contains items from over 300 years of history including over 40 rare pieces. The Porcelain Room houses a collection of hand-painted porcelain sculptures created by Boehm Studios. Mrs. Guido Rahr's collection of dolls are displayed in the Doll Room. They were acquired in her travels around the world. The items are ceremonial, folklore, and popular figures from their country. Furnished dollhouses in the room were donated by Amy Brady. The dollhouses contain 1930s furnishings from Marshall Fields. The Doll Room also contains the furnishings from a Victorian dining room. The Kamogawa Room contains a collection of gifts from Manitowoc's Japanese sister city Kamogawa. A wing was added to the house in 1975 to hold exhibits. The wing was paid for with donations from John and Ruth West and the Rahr Foundation. Another wing was added in 1986 to display and store a permanent collection of American art donated by the Wests. The museum's permanent collection holds pieces by Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Picasso, Isidore Bonheur, Eyvind Earle, and Milton Avery. The Courtyard Garden, located just inside the museum entrance, was established in 1975 by Mrs. John West and the Manitowoc Garden Club. It contains a bronze sculptureWaiting by Bruno Lucchesi in Wisconsin shrubs and trees. The Ruth West Gallery, the largest exhibition space, is used for around 10 exhibitions per year. It sometimes host lectures and recitals. The John West Gallery has exhibitions that changes every four to six weeks. It is sometimes used to display art of the museum's collection. Ruth West in the winter of 1974 began a community art activity for a week, the "Art of Tablesettings", featuring displays of wall art over uniquely themed tables, chairs, dishware and flatware. Drawing from a pool of registrations, eventually over thirty displays are arranged in the two 1975 gallery's west of the mansion, during the six weeks.
Sputnikfest
On September 5, 1962, a piece of the 7 tonSputnik 4 crashed on North Eighth Street east of the museum. The impact location is marked with a ring. A cast was made from the original piece before the Soviets claimed it, and the cast was displayed at the museum. The city holds an annual Sputnikfest celebration.
