Elizabeth Plankinton

Elizabeth Ann[4] or Anne[5] Plankinton (July 27, 1853 – 1923) was an American philanthropist in the early 20th century, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton. She was also known as "Miss Lizzie" and the people of Milwaukee called Plankinton the "municipal patroness" because of her generosity. She made a large donation that built the first YWCA in Milwaukee. She also purchased an elaborate large-scale pipe organ for the newly constructed city auditorium.

Elizabeth Plankinton
c. 1891
Born
Elizabeth Anne Plankinton

July 27, 1853
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died1923 (aged 69–70)
Lucerne, Switzerland
Parent(s)John Plankinton (1820–1891)
RelativesWilliam Plankinton (1844–1905), brother[1]
Hannah M. Plankinton, (1851–1870), sister[2]
Elizabeth Plankinton House
constructed 1886–1887
First city YWCA building[3]
donated by Plankinton, 1899

She supported local artists and artisans. One of her notable gifts was the 1885 statue of George Washington that was ultimately placed in Milwaukee's Monument Square. It is nine feet tall and sits on a twelve-foot base. This was the first piece of public art for the city and was sculptured by her fiancé.

Plankinton had a three-bedroom mansion built for her in an upscale Milwaukee neighborhood as a wedding gift from her father. Her fiancé abandoned her for a dancer from Minneapolis. Distraught, Plankinton lost interest in the mansion. It stood empty for a decade and was eventually purchased by a widow.

Biography

Elizabeth Anne Plankinton was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 27, 1853.[4] She was a daughter of John Plankinton and Elizabeth Brasker (some records show Bracken or Brucken).[4] Her older brother, William, was born in 1844[6] and her sister, Hannah, in 1851; Hannah died of a heart condition in 1870 when Plankinton was seventeen.[2][7]

Elizabeth Plankinton House
Main article: Elizabeth Plankinton House

The Elizabeth Plankinton House was a three-bedroom mansion in the upscale Milwaukee neighborhood of west Grand Ave that was built by businessman and millionaire John Plankinton and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9] It was constructed in 1886–87 at a cost of $100,000 (equivalent to $2.6 million in 2019).[10][11] and was located across the street from his own palatial residence.[12] His daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged to marry American sculptor Richard Henry Park,[5] and he built the house to give to her as a wedding gift.[8] The marriage never took place, as on 18 September 1887,[13] Park abandoned Elizabeth and married a dancer from Minneapolis instead.[5][14] Distraught, Elizabeth completely lost interest in the mansion, rejecting her wedding gift[9] and never living in the residence which bore her name; instead, she travelled the world.[5][14] The mansion stood empty for nearly ten years before eventually being sold to a widow in 1896, who lived in it to 1904.[9] It was resold by her family in 1910 to the Knights of Columbus, who continued to occupy and use it until 1978.[8] It was acquired by the Milwaukee redevelopment authority in 1967, and then transferred it to Marquette University in 1975.[15]

The house provoked strong feelings at that time, with local historian H. Russell Zimmermann arguing for its preservation on historic grounds,[16] in which he was supported by an analysis by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).[15] However, local opinions included that it was an "eyesore," an "ugly behemoth," and a "monument to Victorian bad taste,"[16] and it was entirely surrounded by university buildings by 1980.[15] A representative of Marquette University declared that the "mansion is neither historical nor architecturally significant. It is the product of the whims of the owner and the architect, and does not represent a true example of any particular style of architecture."[16] The university demolished it in October 1980 to make room for student facilities;[8] this occurred approximately two months after the HABS survey report has been issued,[17] and despite the House having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[18] Its destruction was a significant factor in the 1981 formation of the City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission, with the aim of protecting Milwaukee's architectural heritage.[19]

Philanthropy

Plankinton followed in her father's footsteps as a humanitarian and was affectionately called "Miss Lizzie" by the citizens of Milwaukee.[20] She continued the tradition of philanthropy and historical records show that Miss Plankinton gave many gifts to the citizens of Milwaukee for their benefit.[21] Out of respect, she was referred to as the "municipal patroness" because of her spirit of giving.[5][22][23] One of her public gifts was a $100,000 donation (equivalent to $2.6 million in 2019)[10] in 1892[24][25] that ultimately built in 1899 the first YWCA hotel of the city (pictured) for affordable housing for working women.[26][27][28] She also purchased a $10,000 pipe organ (equivalent to $0.2 million in 2019)[10] for the then-new half million dollar 1909 Milwaukee Auditorium.[27][29][30]

Milwaukee Washington monument
Washington statue
Main article: Washington Monument (Milwaukee)

Plankinton's most notable gift was a George Washington bronze statue for the city of Milwaukee, first announced in January 1885.[31] Sculpted by 47 year old Park and dedicated in November 1885,[23][32] it was the first piece of public art in Milwaukee,[33] and cost around $20,000[34] (equivalent to $502,000 in 2019).[10] George Washington is portrayed in uniform as the 43-year-old commander-in-chief of the Continental Army,[33] and stands 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m) tall on a 12 feet 1 inch (3.68 m) granite base.[34] The complete statue assembly with its 12 foot pedestal sits on a Wauwatosa limestone foundation that is 13.5 feet (4.1 m) square and 7 feet (2.1 m) deep consisting of 4 steps.[35]

Inscriptions on the sculpture include: on the lower left side, "RH PARK SC," acknowledging the sculptor (who was Plankinton's then-fiancé); on back of the base, "The Gift of / Elizabeth A. Plankinton / To the City of Milwaukee / 1885"; and, on the front of the base, simply "WASHINGTON".[34] At the foot of statue are two bronze figures, a mother and a child, which were included following a specific request from Plankinton. At a time when immigrants were coming in large numbers to live in Milwaukee, their inclusion is intended to portray a mother showing her child the father of the United States[33] as a message on the importance of history or education.[34]

In 2016–2018, the statue was extensively restored.[33][36][37]

Later life

Some time before World War I, Plankinton built a large home in Dresden, Germany, where she spent several months of the year. She was trapped there when the war broke out, and the government impounded her property in the United States. She visited Milwaukee after the war, but was in Europe as her health deteriorated, and she died in Lucerne in Switzerland in 1923. She was buried in the Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee,[38] alongside her father,[39] step mother,[40] brother,[41] and sister,[2] near the monument and pillar erected after her father's death.[42] In her will, she left considerable bequests to the people of Milwaukee, including $50,000 (equivalent to $0.6 million in 2019)[10] each to the YWCA, the Milwaukee Hospital, and the Milwaukee-Downer College, to whom she had already endowed $65,000 shortly before her death.[23] After her father's death, Plankinton commissioned artist Susan Frackelton and her daughter, Gladys Frackelton Seely, to prepare and illustrate a hand-illuminated volume, Voices of Friends (also known as the Plankinton memorial book), with reminiscences of him from his personal friends, "who knew and loved him well."[43] It was displayed at the Layton Art Gallery,[44] to whom Plankinton bequeathed $25,000 in her will.[23] The gallery has since closed, but the volume has become a part of the rare books collection of the Milwaukee Central Library.[43]

Plankinton's share of her father's estate was held in trust for her children,[45][46] and as she never had a child, her share went to her nephew, William Woods Plankinton.[23]

References
  1. Zimmermann, H. Russell (26 October 1969). "MU to Level Victorian Mansion". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 7-1, 7–12 to 7–13. Retrieved 27 January 2017 – via Marquette University.
  2. "Archive Roll Number: 3, Census Year: 1870, Census Place: Milwaukee, Wisconsin". U. S. Census Mortality Schedules, Wisconsin, 1850–1880. United States Census Bureau, Department of Commerce. 1870 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  3. Widen 2007, p. 63.
  4. "Wisconsin Births and Christenings (1826–1926): Elizabeth Ann Plankinton, 27 Jul 1853". FamilySearch. December 12, 2014.
  5. "Elizabeth Plankinton House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin biography". historic-structures.com. November 19, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Elizabeth Anne Plankinton was John's only daughter by his second wife, continued in her father's tradition of philanthropy and was known as the 'municipal patroness'.
  6. "Wisconsin Death Records (1867–1907): William Plankinton, 1905". FamilySearch. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017 – via Wisconsin State Historical Society.
  7. Hampton 1909, p. 119.
  8. "Wisconsin Avenue (Grand Avenue), E.A. Plankinton House". University of Wisconsin, Madison. May 23, 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  9. "Biographies and Family Information – John Plankinton". Milwaukee County-Online Genealogy and Family History Library. Links To The Past. 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  10. Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2020). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved September 22, 2020. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  11. Yenowine, G. H. (April 15, 1887). "John Plankinton / Sketch of the Life and Home of a Milwaukee Millianaire". The New North-West. Deer Lodge, Montana – via Newspapers.com .
  12. Austin 1946, p. 123.
  13. Record #175 in marriages in the County of Ottawa, Michigan
  14. "Elizabeth Plankinton Residence". Raynor Memorial Libraries. Marquette University. 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  15. Wenger, Robin (5 August 1980). "Elizabeth Plankinton House – Historic American Buildings Survey No. WI-280" (PDF). Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 26 January 2017 – via Library of Congress.
  16. Zimmermann, H. Russell (1979). "Elizabeth Plankinton Residence" (PDF). Milwaukee, the metropolitan magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  17. "Elizabeth Plankinton Residence". Raynor Memorial Libraries, Marquette University. Marquette University. 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. "Photograph: Elizabeth Plankinton House". Wisconsin Historical Society. 1975. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  19. "City Clerk's Office: Historic Preservation Commission". Official Website of the City of Milwaukee. City of Milwaukee. 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  20. "Monument Unveiled". The Semi-Weekly Miner. Butt, Montana. November 11, 1885. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  21. "Elizabeth Plankinton House, 1492 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI". Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey. Library of Congress. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  22. Hampton 1909, pp. 119–120.
  23. Israel, Herbert M. (June 12, 1933). "Famous Milwaukee Women". Wisconsin News. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Retrieved January 10, 2017 – via Wisconsin Historical Society. The organ in the Milwaukee Auditorium was given the city by Miss Plankinton, who in October 1909 was the subject of a magazine sketch in which she was referred to as "the municipal patroness" because of her generosity.
  24. "Home for Y.W.C.A." The Saint Paul Globe. Saint Paul, Minnesota. April 4, 1899. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
  25. Still 1948, p. 426.
  26. "Women's Work". Las Vegas Free Press. Library of Congress. August 12, 1892. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  27. "Woman Aids Y.W.C.A." The Bennington Evening Banner. Bennington, Vermont: Library of Congress. July 17, 1909 – via Newspapers.com .
  28. "Notes of the Day". The Evening Times. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. May 10, 1899 – via Newspapers.com .
  29. Hampton 1909, p. 120.
  30. Mirror 1909, p. 209.
  31. "All Sorts". The Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. January 11, 1885 – via Newspapers.com .
  32. MCHS 1973, p. 41.
  33. Bence, Susan (July 18, 2016). "Milwaukee's Oldest Monument Leaves City for Repair". WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  34. "George Washington, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museum. January 1994. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  35. "Washington in Bronze". The Weekly Wisconsin. Wisconsin, Wisconsin. November 14, 1885 – via Newspapers.com .
  36. Nelson, James B. (January 11, 2018). "Restored George Washington statue, Milwaukee's oldest monument, returns to Wisconsin Ave". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  37. Peterson, Evan (January 11, 2018). "Bringing George Washington back to life: Milwaukee's 1st public monument gets much-needed repair". FOX6 News. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  38. "Elizabeth A Plankinton, 1923". FamilySearch. 13 December 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2017. Burial, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America, Forest Home Cemetery
  39. "Wisconsin Death Records (1867–1907): John Plankinton, 1891". FamilySearch. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017 – via Wisconsin State Historical Society.
  40. "Wisconsin Death Records (1867–1907): Annie B. Bradford Plankinton, 1900". FamilySearch. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017 – via Wisconsin State Historical Society.
  41. "Wisconsin Death Records (1867–1907): William Plankinton, 1905". FamilySearch. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017 – via Wisconsin State Historical Society.
  42. "Forest Home Cemetery Plankinton memorial". Milwaukee Public Library Historic Photo Collection (F. P. Zeidler Humanities Room). Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collections. November 1973. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  43. Frackleton, S. & G. (1910–13). The Voices of Friends Concerning John Plankinton, Milwaukee's Foremost Citizen, Father of the West Side. Illustrations by Susan S. Frackelton. Inscribed by Gladys Frackelton. Miniature painted by Magda Heuermann. Text provided by the "personal friends of John Plankinton, who knew and loved him well": Edward P. Bacon, Jennie Owen Bradford, Patrick Cudahy, Susan S. Frackelton, Frank Gunsaulus, Amos Augustus Kiehle, Charles King, Frederick Layton, Jeremiah Quin, Charles Ray, Emma Sercomb Rice, Henry Trengrouse, Peter Van Vechten, and George H. Webster. OCLC 37161810 – via Milwaukee Central Library.
  44. "John Plankinton Memorial Ready". Milwaukee Free Press. 13 December 1912. Retrieved 27 January 2017 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  45. "Baby May Save Millions – No Plankinton Money for Hospital if he lives". The Topeka State Journal. Topeka, KS. October 31, 1906. Retrieved January 28, 2017 – via Kansas State Historical Society and the Library of Congress.
  46. "Baby Intervenes – Arrival of Heir to Plankinton Millions May Cost Hospital Millions". Forest City Press. Forest City, SD. November 8, 1906. Retrieved January 28, 2017 – via South Dakota State Historical Society and the Library of Congress.

Sources
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