Mansion Hill Inn Restoration Project

"The McDonnell-Pierce house was the first residence on "Big Bug Hill", Victorian Madison's most elegant neighborhood, now known as Mansion Hill. The building at 424 N. Pinckney St. is one of the four historic mansions still standing at the North Pinckney-East Gilman intersection, on the ridge along Lake Mendota.

In 1857, Alexander McDonnell built the German Romanesque Revival building, considered by some to be the finest of its type in the country.  McDonnell was the contractor for the second State Capitol in Madison, which was under construction at the same time as the mansion. Both buildings have in common Prairie du Chien sandstone and architect August Kutzbock who also designed Madison's first City Hall, the Gates of Heaven Synagogue (still standing), and other Madison homes." -MHI Website http://www.mansionhillinn.com/modules/web/index.php/id/3

The restoration of the Belvedere, at the top of the Grand Staircase, took over a month. Three weeks of epoxy wood restoration and three weeks of paint and paint preparation, including chemical stripping, scraping, sanding, glazing and specialty coatings. The Belvedere is the fourth floor of the Mansion Hill Inn. The work was performed on what was essentially the roof of the hotel.