For the past three years, the leaders of the Rahr-West Art Museum have been trying to get an elevator installed at the historic Villas-Rahr mansion.
The pandemic caused a delay, then supply issues, but now, the project is getting very close to being done.
We spoke with Greg Vadney, the Executive Director of the museum, who estimates that the elevator will be ready for use in October, but there is another event they for sure want it to be ready for.
“We definitely want it open for Christmas in the Mansion, which always debuts the night of the Holiday parade, which is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,” Vadney explained. “So I can say by then, I guarantee you that we are going to have access, so everyone who knows and loves Christmas in the Mansion can have the full experience.”
Close up of the exterior of the elevator.
As for what funded the project, Vadney explained that a lot of it was a Community Development Block Grant.
“That’s a federal grant, and we were able to use it for improvements to a City building,” he revealed. “The city itself also bonded, and that’s kind of the starting point for that.”
The elevator will give the public access to the second floor, which Mary Villas, who owned the residence with her husband Joseph, never got to see.
“Mary was actually in a wheelchair when they moved into that building, and because of that, her bedroom was on the first floor. She never really got to the second floor of her own mansion,” Vadney said. “We have been saying for years since this building was built in 1893, the mansion has been begging for an elevator, and it’s wonderful to finally be able to provide that.”
There are several plans on what to do with the second floor, including showcasing some of the thousands of pieces of art that the public has never had access to.
