Southern vista from the
main balcony. From Wawanissee Point, an elevation of 800
feet above the Wisconsin River Valley, gaze as far as the
eye can see. A strategic mecca; To the east...Devils Lake,
to the west...Devils Head and Cascade Mountain, to the
south...Parfrey's Glen, to the north...Wisconsin Dells and
Ho- Chunk Casino.
In August 1981,
we as unsuspecting innkeepers, Dave and Trudy Holdener
purchased a 42-acre parcel of overgrown wooded property from
Vaughn Conway of Baraboo, WI., known as Wawanissee Point.
We constructed an access road to a lookout point and cleared
a path to the free flowing spring. The following year the
Holdener outhouse was moved from the family’s 1-acre parcel
to the west, and from that capital improvement followed 16
years of camping, trail blazing, tree planting and memorable
family gatherings.
The mid 1990s found us sketching the
design of a dream home that had to accomplish two things. It
had to be built to showcase one of the most panoramic
settings in the country and it had to accommodate family and
friends. In June of 1998 the private ground breaking
ceremony took place. Framing commenced during the winter of
1999 and as the 10,000-square-foot structure started to take
its shape we realized this was indeed going to be a special
place. So special we really needed to share it with others.
And so the Inn at Wawanissee Point was born.
There are many challenges when building
into and on top of a hill. As Frank Lloyd Wright so
profoundly wrote:
No house should ever be on any hill, or on anything.
It should be of the hill….belonging to it,
So hill and house could live together,
Each the happier for the other.
With this credo as our guiding light,
we carefully and painstakingly brought together the warmth
and beauty of wood, the strength and nobility of indigenous
quartzite rock, and the freedom one feels while moving about
the spacious Great Room common area or on the miles of private
hiking trails. We think Mr. Conway and Mr. Wright would
approve.
 It has taken six years to complete our
dream. There are two very special people who made this
possible. Trudy’s father, Alois (Louie) Hastreiter, who is a
78-year-old Bavarian master cabinetmaker who came to the
United States in 1956. Louie hand-picked all the red oak he
used to craft the 42 doors, numerous columns and the
detailed crown molding throughout the Inn. His beautiful inlay pictures and thresholds
are found throughout the main level.
The stairwell, barrel roofs, radius
balcony, magnificent kitchen cook-top and hood were all
crafted by Dave’s brother Richard, himself a master
cabinetmaker. Sadly, Richard did not get to see the Inn’s
completion. He passed away suddenly in January of 2004.
We invite you to experience this unique
place, built by very special people so people like you can
feel the magic of Wawanissee Point.
Trudy and Dave Holdener
Innkeepers
Friends of the Inn
GUESTHOUSE ANZENGRUBER
Vienna, Austria
~ Apartments and Rooms ~
http://www.pension-anzengruber.at/
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