SILVER POPLAR STUDIOS LLC
1519 E. Door Bluff Road
Ellison Bay, WI 54210
Phone: 920.854.2106
e-mail: look@silverpoplar.com
Ellison Wonderland LLC
The story of the barn
Although the barn was built in 1998, it appears to have been in the meadow forever. This is due to the use of recycled materials and country landscaping. It is, however, unique in many respects. There is a Russian theme in the architectural details. The Gallery is a carefully reassembled log barn.
In the “Bolshoi Room,” there is a drawbridge staircase leading to a cat walk, which in turn connects to an interior balcony. Beyond this is an exterior balcony which accommodates an antique telescope originally belonging a Boston harbormaster. Furnishings include a soft-stone laundry sink, a farmhouse sink, an upright piano (cash and carry), baskets, birdhouses, a large butcher’s table and an enormous sailmaker’s table. Oh, and a wall of burlap coffee bags from all over. The room is flooded with daylight from large, arched, period windows. An adjacent garden room is equipped with antique tools and artifacts. As an entry vestibule, a rare, wooden-stave silo has been attached, with a transparent roof.
Components of the barn
- Slovak log barn (Kocurek)
- Post & beam addition (Moore)
- Door County dairy barn (Kracht, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity)
- Denmark silo (Kranik)
- New Jersey barn beams & siding (Rudzina)
- Gurnee barn siding (present site of Six Flags Great America)
- Sister Bay barn fragments (Zander)
- Namur barn artifacts
Architectural salvage from:
- The Granada Theatre, Chicago
- Belle Avenue historic district, Highland Park
- Convent Windows, Sturgeon Bay
- The Civic Opera House and Theatre, Chicago
Brief and small-scale events may be booked with a simple memorandum of understanding. Rental fees are individually determined by the specific needs of each party. Please, call to discuss your requirements with us.
Notable Events
- The Midsummer Music Festival has performed in the “Bolshoi Room” of our barn on balmy evenings with the wagon doors open, allowing a bird to sing along with the chamber music.
- We have had evenings of impromptu entertainment provided by the actors who have regularly stayed with us.
- The Ellison Bay Women’s Club has met here.
- A garden club from Iowa included us on their tour, with a large busload of flower people.
- The first annual Door County Barn Walk included our structure, with 750 people sloshing through in the pouring rain,
- And then hundreds of people passed through again for the House and Garden Walk.
- We were featured in articles in The New York Times, Door County Magazine, the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Door County Advocate, the Door Peninsula Voice, Wisconsin Trails Magazine and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- And, of course, the Silver Poplar Studios GALLERY, occupies one wing of the barn.
Not to mention big Russian parties, which is what the barn was built for in the first place.
