Fox Point has allowed limited access to the Mary Nohl home. Here's what you need to know about the Wisconsin artist.
Fox Point officials decided on April 11 to allow limited access to the home of the late Wisconsin artist Mary Nohl, who transformed her lakefront abode both inside and out with her artwork.
The Nohl home, at 7254 and 7328 North Beach Drive in Fox Point, has picturesque views of Lake Michigan and is adorned with paintings, sculptures and other art mediums. The stewards of the home, an affiliate of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, were approved by village officials to change the zoning of the property to allow for limited access to the home and to build an auxiliary building, among other things.
Following the village board's decision, here's what you need to know about the Wisconsin artist.
Who was Mary Nohl?
Born in 1914 in Milwaukee, Mary Nohl was an artist inspired by the shores of Lake Michigan and her travels. After studying and teaching, she moved to her parent's Fox Point cottage and created art both inside and outside the home.
She wasn't confined to one medium; she was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, woodcarver, writer, illustrator, cartoonist and jeweler. Following the death of her parents, she started to change the home, filling the yard with large sculptures. She died Dec. 22, 2001.
Where is her art located?
In 2021, 80% of Mary Nohl's body of work went on public view at the Art Preserve located at 3636 Lower Falls Road in Sheboygan.
The remaining artwork is the most fragile and tied to the lakeside environment of the home. These works have been conserved on-site, both within and outside the home.
The center can't transport the Fox Point home to another site without destroying many of the sculptures, said Amy Horst, director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Who is trying to preserve her home?
In 1996, Nohl gifted the Kohler Foundation, Inc. her home and entire collection for documentation and preservation. After she died in 2001, the site was named to the National Register of Historic Places and Wisconsin Register of Historic Places in 2005.
In 2012, the Mary Nohl site ownership transferred from the Kohler Foundation, Inc. to Creation and Preservation Partners, Inc., an affiliate of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
In 2022, the center invited area residents to informational open houses to gather input on a cultural overlay zoning request, which would include constructing an auxiliary building and hosting two special events per year at the site, among other things.
The Fox Point Planning Commission narrowly recommended the proposal 3-2, with members Russell Yale and Robert Smith opposing due to concerns about the number of people visiting the property.
On April 11, the Village Board approved the zoning proposal 6-1, with member Eric Fonstad voting against the overlay due to concerns about hours of operation, lighting and the fundraisers.
Is the home open to the public?
No, the Nohl home is not open to the general public.
Under the proposal, the home will remain closed to the public and would be open to guests by invitation only.
Why is there controversy surrounding the preservation of the Nohl home?
The stewards of the home, Creation and Preservation Partners, asked the village for a zoning change that would allow for limited access to the home. The proposal has received backlash from Beach Drive residents, who are concerned about an increase in traffic and noise pollution.
Some residents joined a group called Save the Beach Drive Neighborhood Association, which is represented by John Wirth of the Mallery Law Firm.
Over a series of months, the village received more than 800 pages of comments on their record. Comments included the public hearing agenda, supplied documents from the applicant and all written comments received by the village.
Before the closing of the record on Feb. 20, Wirth agreed to support a revised proposal, which reduced the special events size from 80 people to 60 people and shrunk the size of the auxiliary building from 4,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet.
Several Beach Drive residents did not agree with Wirth's assessment, and have since argued they should be allowed to submit public comment after the proposal was revised and before the village voted on April 11.
Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What you need to know about Wisconsin artist Mary Nohl of Fox Point
