Photos © Mark Hertzberg

Barbara Elsner, a tour de force in the preservation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture in Wisconsin – particularly in Milwaukee – died August 25. She was 99.

Barbara Elsner – 2015: At the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy annual conference in Milwaukee, her hometown 

I got to know Elsner when I served on the board of the  Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin Tourism Heritage Program (“Wright in Wisconsin”) from 2004 – 2020. She was a founding member of the organization. Our board was in discussions about whether or not to purchase Wright’s American System-Built Model B1 at 2714 W. Burnham Street in Milwaukee as early as a strategic planning session at Wingspread in 2002. Some of the board discussions were heated. Were we only about promoting Wright tourism (a founding principle) or should we become property owners as a means of furthering our mission of promoting Wright’s architecture in our state? Elsner was a strong advocate of expanding the mission to include “bricks and mortar.”

Mike Lilek, left, and Barbara Elsner, third from right, at a Wright in Wisconsin board meeting at the newly-purchased Model B1, April 2005. Lilek would oversee our stewardship of the Burnham Block properties.

We bought the house and restored it, with support from the Barbara Meyer Elsner Foundation and a Save Americas Treasures grant. There were 28 major gifts in all. We gradually added more of the AS-B properties to our portfolio, not always without dissension. In August 2017, we reorganized into two organizations: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block (focused on the Burnham Block) and Wright In Wisconsin (focused on the longstanding mission to promote Wright tourism). Mike Lilek, who had shepherded our work on the Burnham properties became president of the new organization. He was Elsner’s son-in-law. The Burnham Block now owns five of the six homes (three of the four duplexes and both single family homes; the fourth duplex remains in private hands and operates as an overnight rental property).

I leave it to Lilek to tell you about Elsner’s extraordinary legacy. Below is the email he sent out, announcing her passing:

Dear Fellow Board Members and Friends,

It is with sadness that I share the news of the passing of Barbara Meyer Elsner, an esteemed member of our Advisory Board and a long-time member of our Board of Directors. She passed away peacefully on Monday, August 25^th, 2025, surrounded by family. She was 99 years old.

Barbara leaves behind a towering legacy of dedication, leadership, and service to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block and its predecessor, Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin.

She was a founding member of Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin and served as president.

She was a founding member and past Member of the Board of Directors of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, based in Chicago, IL.

She served on the Wisconsin Governor’s Commission on the preservation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin. She has generously donated her time and financial support to various Wright projects, including the restoration of the Romeo and Juliet Windmill at Taliesin and the Seth Peterson Cottage on Mirror Lake.

She was a strong advocate for acquiring and restoring the Burnham Block homes. She partnered with Kathleen Brady to lead the primary fundraising effort for the restoration of Models B1 and D4. Her Barbara Meyer Elsner Foundation also provided the Burnham Block with significant financial support, including a major contribution toward the current restoration of the Model C3. Even after retiring from active board service, she continued to be a valued advisor and supporter of our mission. She was a long-serving member of our Interiors Committee.

She also played a major role in the preservation and restoration of the Pabst Mansion, serving as president of the mansion’s Board of Directors and as Executive Director for two years.

Barbara has led many grassroots efforts.  Notable among them was the effort to protect the North Point Historic District from planned institutional expansion. She is also a founding member of the Water Tower Landmark Trust and a board member of Preserve Our Parks. She played a role in organizing the Penfield Children’s Center. She was a founding member of the American Heritage Society of the Milwaukee Art Museum. She helped bring ballet to Milwaukee.

Robert and Barbara Elsner purchased the Bogk House in 1955.  Under Barbara’s care and guidance, the home was meticulously maintained. Barbara generously opened the Bogk House to visiting architectural scholars and students from around the world. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava noted that the Bogk House was one of his two “must-see” buildings in Milwaukee.

The Bogk House

Barbara has played a major role in raising the awareness of Frank Lloyd Wright on the Burnham Block, in Wisconsin, and far beyond.  Her generosity, extraordinary spirit, and tireless energy have been a benefit to all of us. Barbara will be deeply missed.

She made a huge impact on the world we live in. A celebration of life will be held in the coming weeks; details will follow.

Sincerely,
Michael P. Lilek, President Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block

Elsner in the Wright research library at SC Johnson

Links:

YouTube interview with Barbara Elsner, and history of the Bogk House:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjJAi-c23I

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block:

https://savewright.org

Wright in Wisconsin:

https://wrightinwisconsin.org

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy:

https://savewright.org

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