Mansion Hill Inn offers its guests the luxury, elegance and Victorian charm of Madison's only four-diamond inn. Its warm hospitality has made it a favorite resting place of business and leisure travelers alike. A masterpiece of Romanesque Revival style built in 1857, Mansion Hill Inn abounds in fine architectural detail and period furnishings. The eleven guest suites and rooms are highly individual and carefully decorated to provide the best of antique ambience and contemporary amenities. Many rooms have marble fireplaces and balconies.

Craftsman Suite Craftsman Suite

Ground Floor * Sitting Areas * Queen Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub * Separate Shower * Verandah * Garden Entrance * Fireplace

Atomic Room Atomic Room

Ground Floor * Queen Size Bed * Steam Shower * Garden Entrance

The Study The Study

Ground Floor * Sitting Area * Queen Size Bed * Standard Tub With Shower * Garden Entrance

Alexander A. McDonnell Room Alexander A. McDonnell Room

Main Floor * Sitting Area * Queen Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub With Shower * Verandah * Fireplace

August Kutzboch Room August Kutzboch Room

Main Floor * Queen Size Bed * Single Whirlpool Tub With Shower * Verandah

The McDonnell-Pierce house was the first residence on "Big Bug Hill", Victorian Madison's most elegant neighborhood, now known as Mansion Hill.

The building at 424 N. Pinckney St., is one of the four historic mansions still standing at the North Pinckney-East Gilman intersection, on the ridge along Lake Mendota.

Alexander McDonnell built the German Romanesque Revival building, considered by some to be the finest of its type in the country, in 1857.

McDonnell was the contractor for the second State Capitol in Madison, which was under construction at the same time as the mansion. Both buildings have in common Prairie du Chien sandstone and architect August Kutzbock who also designed Madison's first City Hall, the Gates of Heaven Synagogue (still standing), and other Madison homes.

The ornate exterior, which was never altered, includes wrought iron from balconies buttresses and arched windows.

Inside the 9,000 square foot mansion is a four-story, oval-shaped mahogany spiral staircase leading to a belvedere. Light passes into the marble foyer through etched Venetian windows. Originally, there were oil-painted wall designs.

The mansion's days as a single-family residence ended at the turn-of-the-century. It then became a fashionable boarding house run by Carrie Pierce, and some of the area's most notable citizens lived there.

In the 1930's, well after boarding houses fell out of favor, the building was converted into apartments, a condition that persisted until its recent renovation in 1983, when the Alexander Company purchased the Inn, and made it the elegant hotel it is today.

Once, the Mansion was surrounded by a grove of butternut trees, gardens and a stable of Arabian horses. Now the grounds are landscaped into a Victorian garden with a beautiful fountain.

Turkish Nook Turkish Nook

Main Floor * Queen Size Bed * Steam Shower * Verandah

Sarah Fairchild Conover Suite Sarah Fairchild Conover Suite

Second Floor * Sitting Area * Queen Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub * Separate Shower * Private Balcony * Fireplace

James Whistler Room James Whistler Room

Second Floor * Queen Size Bed * Single Whirlpool Tub With Shower * Verandah

Lillie Langtry Room Lillie Langtry Room

Second Floor * Sitting Area * Queen Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub With Shower * Verandah * Fireplace

Oriental Suite Oriental Suite

Third Floor * Sitting Area * Tempur-Pedic® King Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub * Separate Shower * Skylight Windows

Carrie Pierce Room Carrie Pierce Room

Third Floor * Sitting Area * Queen Size Bed * Double Whirlpool Tub * Separate Shower * Skylight Windows