The Mansion, then located on the elegant Grand Avenue, replaced the Pabst family home on the grounds of the Pabst Brewing Company, and was seen as more of a retirement home for Captain Frederick Pabst and his wife, Maria. As leading socialites of their day, the Pabsts held many fine parties at the Mansion, sometimes entertaining famous guests, such as Theodore Roosevelt. Their daughter Emma also had her wedding in the home. When Frederick died in 1904, and Maria in 1906, their funerals were held there as well.
In 1908, the Pabst descendants sold the house to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the home became the archbishop’s residence for the next sixty-seven years. When it was sold in 1975, the Mansion was nearly torn down to make way for a parking lot for a neighboring hotel. After a three-year crusade for its preservation, it was spared demolition and went on to become an award-winning house museum. The Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1975 and has been open to the public since 1978.
