Elizabeth Plankinton
| Elizabeth Plankinton | |
|---|---|
c. 1891
|
|
| Born |
Elizabeth Anne Plankinton July 27, 1853 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | 1923 (aged 69–70) Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Parent(s) | John Plankinton (1820–1891) |
| Relatives |
William Plankinton (1844–1905), brother Hannah M. Plankinton, (1851–1870), sister William Woods Plankinton, Jr. (1906–1972), great nephew |
Elizabeth Ann or AnnePlankinton (July 27, 1853 – 1923) was an American philanthropist in the early 20th century, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton. 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. The people of Milwaukee called Plankinton the "municipal patroness" because of her generosity and she was also known as "Miss Lizzie".
Elizabeth Anne Plankinton was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 27, 1853. She was a daughter of John Plankinton and Elizabeth Brasker (some records show Bracken or Brucken). Her older brother, William, was born in 1844 and her sister, Hannah, in 1851; Hannah died of a heart condition in 1870 when Plankinton was seventeen.
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. It was constructed in 1886–87 at a cost of $100,000 (equivalent to $26.4 million in 2015). and was located across the street from his own palatial residence. His daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged to marry American sculptor Richard Henry Park, and he built the house to give to her as a wedding gift. The marriage never took place, as on 18 September 1887, Park abandoned Elizabeth and married a dancer from Minneapolis instead. Distraught, Elizabeth completely lost interest in the mansion, rejecting her wedding gift and never living in the residence which bore her name; instead, she travelled the world. The mansion stood empty for nearly ten years before eventually being sold to a widow in 1896, who lived in it to 1904. It was resold by her family in 1910 to the Knights of Columbus, who continued to occupy and use it until 1978. It was acquired by the Milwaukee redevelopment authority in 1967, and then transferred it to Marquette University in 1975. The house provoked strong feelings at that time, with local historian H. Russell Zimmermann arguing for its preservation on historic grounds, in which he was supported by an analysis by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). However, local opinions included that it was an "eyesore," an "ugly behemoth," and a "monument to Victorian bad taste," and it was entirely surrounded by university buildings by 1980. 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." The university demolished it in October 1980 to make room for student facilities; this occurred approximately two months after the HABS survey report has been issued, and despite the House having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 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.
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