Fairlawn Mansion (Superior, WI)

You may have heard about the famous Glensheen Mansion located on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN. It’s a popular site for those visiting Duluth! Glensheen was built by Chester and Clara Congdon between 1905 and 1908 as their home. This influential family is known for opening up iron mining in this region and setting aside land for public use, such as the North Shore Scenic Highway and Congdon Park. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Glensheen Mansion I encourage you to check out the website for information on the Congdon’s and their beautiful home, or better yet plan a visit. I have toured the mansion many times and it fascinates me each time!

Glensheen is an absolutely beautiful place to visit; however, I’d like to share with you a place that is just as beautiful to visit but a little less well known – Fairlawn Mansion located across the way in Superior, WI. I toured Fairlawn Mansion a few years ago while visiting my cousin in Superior, and it is such an amazing site to see!

Fairlawn Mansion is a historic site that offers daily tours and special events year-round. Built as the family home for Superior’s mayor, lumber baron, and miner, Martin Pattison, his wife Grace and their six children, Fairlawn was completed in 1891 at the cost of $150,000. The mansion stands as an enduring testament to Pattison’s success and standing in the community.

During the 1890s, a transportation hub positioned at the western-most port on the Great Lakes, Superior was on the rise of national expansion. Men made their fortunes in lumbering and mineral mining, and in shipping goods, agricultural crops, and minerals by land and sea. Pattison was one of those men, making his fortune as a lumberman and mining speculator. He became a greatly admired and well-respected civic leader in Superior.

In 1889 Pattison announced plans to construct a grand home for a man of his position; he wanted to establish evidence of his wealth and make his home a model for self-made men such as himself. He purchased a full city block along what is now East Second Street, with a view of Superior Bay and the open water of Lake Superior beyond Minnesota Point.

The 42-room Queen Anne Victorian house, featuring a four-story tower complete with widow’s watch overlooking the bay, is a unique and well recognized landmark in Superior. In summer, gardens cover the expansive lawns with traditional flower varieties such as peony, rose, hydrangea, and lily. Guests are welcome to stroll through the grounds and may photograph the gardens and exterior of the mansion.

The first floor was fully restored in the 1990s, and features gilded murals on the ceilings and frieze, a grand entrance hall and open staircase, marble and tile fireplaces, and original leaded and stained-glass windows. The remainder of the main floor includes a reception room, parlor, music room, formal dining room, butler’s pantry, kitchen, and Pattison’s library and office. The second floor of the mansion includes access to the master bedroom suite, furnished much as it was during the Pattisons’ time in the house. The third floor is dedicated to the Children’s Home era from 1920 to 1962, when the mansion served as a home for over 2,000 children. Guests are provided a guided tour of all three floors.

Martin Pattison died in 1918 at the age of 77; Grace was 62 years old. She and her youngest daughter, Lois, remained in the mansion until 1920 when they moved to Los Angeles seeking a warmer climate. Before leaving Superior, Grace donated Fairlawn Mansion to the Superior Children’s Home and Refuge Society, a charitable organization of which she was a founder and board member.

Fairlawn Mansion is open for tours year-round. All guided tours depart from the Carriage House Gift Shop at the top of the hour. Online bookings can be made up to one month in advance.

Are you planning a wedding? Share this special occasion with your family and friends in the elegant surroundings of Fairlawn Mansion. Choose the formal parlor for a small, romantic ceremony seating 20 guests, or the bride may wish to make her entrance down the Grand Staircase to the spacious landing, where 65 seated guests can be accommodated in the main hallway with full view of the ceremony. Receptions for up to 125 guests and formal dinners for up to 65 can be held in the beautifully restored formal rooms on the first floor of the mansion.

Fairlawn Mansion is such a beautiful and elegant site to tour, and I highly encourage you to plan a visit!

Additional Source: 1889 Victorian House Restoration – Fairlawn Mansion