‘This is a global destination. People come from all over the world.’

Sybill Knopp lives in Racine, which is home to many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s memorable builds. Knopp joined the Burnham Block restoration project in 2012. She is currently membership coordinator for the nonprofit.

Sophia Davis: What led you to become interested in architecture and start working here?

Sybil Knopp: What brought me here is a very good friend of mine. She was the former museum curator here. So, she mentored me into the system. We worked together in Racine as well because there are a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright builds there. She was working with the art museum, so we did a lot of collaborations on different things over the years. She had this project going on, so I decided I could give her a hand with it. That’s what led me into this, and just my background, I like architecture. In addition to the Harding House and S.C. Johnsons Administrative Building in Racine, there’s many other Frank Lloyd Wright builds in the state.

Sophia Davis: How long has this museum been involved in Open Doors?

Sybil Knopp: I believe this is our 16^th year, so we have only missed one year. It’s been great. There’s so much variety of things for people to go and explore. We can have a year where over the weekend, we’ll have 2,000 people. And that’s why we do it; it’s for the community. Normally our house tours are $20 per person, but this weekend it is free.

Sophia Davis: Is the house that is currently under construction open for tours as well?

Sybil Knopp: It would only be open for tourists and special events like this one, our fundraiser. We would open it for tours, but it has been a rental since we purchased it in 2012. So, the people who rent help to fund our operations and keep our doors open. We’re a completely nonprofit organization; none of our staff get paid.

Sophia Davis: What has been your favorite part about working with this organization?

Sybil Knopp: It’s great working with the staff that we have here. They’re all passionate about Frank Lloyd Wright, architecture, and our mission. It is great to have this kind of community support come to us. I’ve stuck with it and have been with these people for a long time. This is a global destination. People come from all over the world. This summer we had a group of people from Japan. A couple of weeks ago, a group from England. Usually, every year we get a group or two from Australia. And this year, we started a collaboration with Victory Cruise Ships. They have 27 destinations coming to Milwaukee, and one of the tour sites is our stop.