Entry No. 23 — the Milwaukee file — filed under: folk-art environments
Mary Nohl Art Environment
Tucked on a Lake Michigan bluff, artist Mary Nohl transformed her home and yard into a surreal outdoor gallery filled with over 50 concrete figures, carved wooden sea monsters, and stained glass accents. Though the interior is closed to drop-in visitors, the strange concrete faces and driftwood sculptures remain clearly visible from the street and shoreline.
The story
Fox Point is high-end, manicured Milwaukee suburban lakefront, which makes 7328 North Beach Drive feel like a glitch in the property values. Starting around mid-century on land her family bought in 1924, artist Mary Nohl systematically transformed her cottage and yard into an unbothered, surreal outdoor gallery. Unsurprisingly, nervous suburban neighbors and local kids quickly nicknamed it 'The Witch’s House.'
Nohl hauled shoreline debris and mixed up bags of cement to construct over 50 weathered concrete figures. Their hollow-eyed, elongated faces still peer through the foliage toward Lake Michigan alongside carved wooden sea monsters and stained glass accents worked straight into the home's facade. She wasn't decorating for visitors; she was building a private ecosystem out of Lake Michigan refuse.
Today, the site is under the stewardship of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. While the interior remains closed to drop-in visitors, a significant portion of Nohl's original creations stay anchored right where she built them, rooted on the bluff overlooking the water.
What it's like
Drive or bike down winding Beach Drive near golden hour. You won't be stepping inside—the interior is off-limits to drop-in visitors—so stay on the street or head down to the public beach edge below the bluff. From the roadside, Nohl’s concrete heads stare back at you through the trees like ancient sentinels. Keep it low-key; Beach Drive is a quiet residential stretch, and the neighborhood has been keeping an eye on curious onlookers for decades.
The move: Drive or bike down winding Beach Drive at golden hour to view the weathered stone head sentinels peering out toward Lake Michigan, then walk down to the public beach edge below.
- 📍 Fox Point
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 7328 N Beach Dr, Fox Point, WI 53217
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Lynden Sculpture Garden — Contrast Nohl's raw, outsider concrete heads with 40 manicured acres of monumental modernist sculptures just under three miles away.
- American Geographical Society Library — Trade an outsider artist's personal world for nearly two million maps and globes tucked inside UW-Milwaukee's library campus.
- Foundation Tiki Bar — Pair Nohl's driftwood sea beasts with hand-carved tikis and strong rum drinks in nearby Riverwest.
Good to know
Can you go inside the house?
No. The interior is closed to drop-in visitors. The artwork is meant to be observed from the exterior, where the concrete figures and wooden sculptures are clearly visible from Beach Drive and the shoreline below.
Why was it called 'The Witch's House'?
Suburban rumor took over when Nohl began populating her yard with tall cement heads, stained glass, and driftwood beasts. The unconventional look contrasted so sharply with the surrounding neighborhood that locals tagged it with the moniker.
Who maintains the property today?
The property and its preserved artwork are part of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center collection, which stewards the environment in place.
Where is the best view of the sculptures?
Look from the public road along Beach Drive or walk the Lake Michigan shoreline directly below the bluff to view the figures silhouetted against the water.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · jmkac.org · Wikipedia · hyperallergic.com · spacesarchives.org
last checked: 2026-07-21