Within its 5,763 square feet, the house contains three floors and 14 rooms (including eight bedrooms).  In keeping with the home’s late-1880s architecture, the WHS continues to refurbish the house to evoke a Victorian style of interior decorating, while allowing the rooms to be used for modern-day purposes. The majority of the house reflects the style of the Kneeland years, but various “modernizations” (such as the kitchen and elevator) represent changing technology and style during the Walker years.

Woodwork

The elegant front doors are original, as are three sets of oak pocket doors on the first floor. The house contains all of the original woodwork (although it was dark until the 1950s) and brass hardware.

Chandeliers & Sconces

Most of the chandeliers and sconces in the house were designed and created specifically for these spaces by Brass Light Gallery.

Ceiling Coverings

The designs in the Music Room, Board Room, and ceilings of Grand Hallway and second floor hallway are reproductions of papers from the Brillion collection, a treasure trove of antique wall and ceiling coverings discovered in an abandoned Brillion (WI) drugstore 40 years ago.

The layered look of many papers, friezes, and borders is typical of elegant homes of the late 1800s. The papers are not actually layered, but were carefully charted and cut for the space.

Wall Coverings

Wall coverings and window treatments on first floor were carefully chosen by a committee of dedicated volunteers, who faithfully researched the era.

The border at the top of the Parlor wall and the bottom of the Dining Room wall is anaglypta; this is a neutral molded paper that can be painted as desired.

Carpets

In the Dining Room, the Kirman rug by Karastan was specially tea-washed to obtain the heirloom hue. The parlor carpet is an Axminster carpet, from Devon, England, specially chosen not only for its appropriate look, but also for its prolonged life and resistance to wear. The bordered stairway runner uses two Axminster carpets.

Elevator

Located in the corner of the dining room, the elevator services three of the four floors in the house–the basement, first floor, and second floor. It was installed in 1943 when Mr. Walker’s first wife, Mabelle, was ill.

Kitchen

In 1947, the Walkers remodeled the kitchen into the state-of-the-art “St. Charles” kitchen. Conveniences such as the built-in dishwasher, were quite modern then. Red and yellow was a popular color scheme in post-World War II. Window blinds and curtains, table, and the Farbo Marmoleum flooring, also reflect the era.

Bathrooms

There are seven bathrooms on the property. Six are in the house (basement, first floor, third floor, and three on second floor) and one is in the chicken coop.

There are seven bathrooms on the property. Six are in the house (basement, first floor, third floor, and three on second floor) and one is in the chicken coop.

---

Exterior Paint Colors

White when the WHS purchased the house in 1987, the exterior was repainted in the original jewel-tone colors in 1994, 2009 and 2019. The WHS undertook an extensive paint analysis to determine the original colors. Community Development Block Grants and donations from private individuals financed the work.