When he came to Milwaukee in 1894, Austrian-born artisan Cyril Colnik found steady and profitable work from the city's industrialists, who spent lavishly on their mansions, offices and philanthropies. Alan J. Strekow's Cyril Colnik Man of Iron relates the story of the master metalsmith and provides many illustrations of his elaborate and often grotesque Art Nouveau images. While he found commissions elsewhere in the U.S., most of his work was for Milwaukee clients and some of it survives. The gates guarding the entrance to Villa Terrace were his, as well as a chandelier at Mader's, the window grills at the Pabst Mansion the railings at City Hall. The largest collection of Colnik is housed at Villa Terrace and is the cornerstone of the museum's decorative arts collection.
