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Lifestyles of the governor and first lady

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by Alex Brousseau

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Gov. Jim Doyle and First Lady Jessica Doyle have once again opened their home for seasonal tours showcasing Wisconsin-themed holiday trees and performances by local musicians, as well as an inside look at the Executive Residence.

The free tours allow visitors to stroll through the bottom floor and grounds of the governor's mansion on Lake Mendota, with guides on hand to talk about the rooms and the six holiday trees. Local performers also provide musical entertainment during the first hour of each set of tours.

According to Executive Residence Director Vicki Haymen, governors of Wisconsin and their wives have been offering tours of the home for more than 20 years.

"[The governor] opens the mansion to everyone as a nice thing to do, to share the holidays with friends and strangers and to show off the residence and the six trees that are from nearby farms and decorated by Wisconsin residents," Haymen said.

The residence, located on more than four acres along Lake Mendota, has more than 16,000 square feet of living space, including 34 rooms, 13 bathrooms and seven bedrooms and fireplaces. Although visitors are not allowed into the governor's private quarters on the second floor, the tours offer a glimpse at the entertaining areas usually restricted to special guests.

"[The tours are] a great opportunity to see the mansion and a part of Wisconsin," said local youth performer Ariela Bohrod, who performed on the opening day of the tours Dec. 6.

The 12-year-old pianist, who won the Madison Symphony Orchestra's 2007 Fall Youth Concerto Competition, started playing for various events at the mansion under former Gov. Scott McCallum.

Bohrod said she always enjoys playing for the tours because of the diverse audience they attract.

"I love to play there, to see all the different people — the kids, the families," Bohrod said. "I hope I play again next year."

Take the tour

The tour begins among the paintings and chez lounges of the decorated foyer. Two winding staircases lead to the off-limit private quarters, which include a kitchen, living room, private bedrooms and bathrooms, according to tour guide Carole Genin.

Guests next enter the dining room, which is adorned with hand-painted silk wallpaper and a giant chandelier originally made for the 1904 World's Fair. The room also features a tree that represents Wisconsin's Irish heritage with boughs of holly, Irish lace dollies and tin ornaments of many shapes and sizes.

The adjoining parlor holds a tree titled "Tribute to the Troops," which is decorated with ornaments sent in from the different branches of the armed services, as well as several ranking military officials from Wisconsin.

Guests next find themselves in the drawing room, where large windows offer a beautiful view of Lake Mendota. Along with a central fireplace and portraits of the 14 past governors who have resided in the mansion, the room also holds two trees representing famous Wisconsin products and winter recreation.

The wood-paneled library displays several gifts given to the governor, including a Hmong flute and a small tapestry containing the symbol of yin and yang made out of horsehair, donated by a group of Russian physicists.

The library tree, "Our Town," represents the 190 cities, 400 villages and 1,260 towns located in Wisconsin and is decorated with postcards from several of them.

The final stop on the tour, the garden room, has two walls made almost entirely of windows looking out to Lake Mendota and the gardens. The room also features the tree "Forever Green."

"The theme of this tree is conserving our natural resources and the beauty of our state, the idea being that if each one of does our part, we can keep our Wisconsin holidays green forever," said tour guide Pat Feldman.

Leaving the mansion, guests pass an outdoor fountain and a gated wrought-iron fence that once surrounded the old State Capitol Building.

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