Todd Herbst
The Buckingham Inn
Madison has a new bed-and-breakfast, nearly in the shadow of Camp Randall. Named after the full name of UW-Madison mascot Bucky Badger (Buckingham U. Badger), the Buckingham Inn has been open since January.
Because of its location and nomenclature, you might expect it to be full of rah-rah spirit, and there is some of that. But what the Buckingham Inn primarily offers is a stunning Arts and Crafts-style restoration.
Todd Herbst
Art glass window at the Buckingham Inn.
The three-story home, at 1615 Summit Ave., is Prairie Style. It was built in 1911 as a three-flat rental property catering mostly to Progressive Era faculty and staff. Nearby are many of University Heights’ finest homes, including the chancellor’s official residence and Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1908 “airplane house.”
Current owners Heidi and Tom Notbohm had dreamed for a decade of starting their own B&B. She’s a retired school speech pathologist, and he’s a transportation engineer.
“One of our sons lived here when he went to school,” recalls Heidi. “We dropped him off one time and the building was for sale.” They bought it, in 2006. They moved in, continued to rent two of the flats, and began to examine possibilities.
“Because we were living in the building, we could imagine how we would divide it up into guest units,” says Tom. “It seemed very suitable for that.” For example, staircases separate guest spaces and public spaces, limiting any potential noise.
Then there were the aesthetics. “There were certain elements about the building that, as a whole, were screaming at us to be something better,” says Tom.
Todd Herbst
Varsity-themed bedroom at the Buckingham Inn.
Many elements were restored, while others had to be re-imagined, as drop ceilings and paneling were removed. Fine wood was salvaged and placed in new areas. All the plaster was replaced — not with drywall but hand-plastered from scratch — by an artisan from Oconomowoc who learned the trade from his grandpa. He also made repairs to the exterior, applying fresh stucco by lobbing it on with pussy willow branches.
“That’s what his grandfather used,” explains Heidi.
The Varsity Suite, Mendota Suite (which is handicap accessible) and University Suite each includes a sitting area, luxury bedding and spacious tiled bathroom with spa-style shower. Period and period-style furniture, oak trim, stained glass and vintage UW photos are featured throughout the house.
Breakfast selections include quiches, frittatas, stuffed french toast and baked havarti with eggs. “The recipes are combinations of things we’ve found over the years and tweaked a little bit,” says Heidi. Gluten-free items from Madison’s Silly Yak Bakery are available on request.
Todd Herbst
The living room common space at the Buckingham Inn.
The renovation preserves at least one architectural mystery: Boxes built out into exterior balconies on the upper floors, covered but accessible from the inside. “We could never figure out what those would have been for,” says Tom. “Could they have been ice boxes? Probably they were for firewood storage.”
The Buckingham Inn is open year-round. Rates range from $160 to $275 per night depending on the suite, day of week and time of year. Amenities include bathrobes; in-room refrigerators stocked with soft drinks; large-screen televisions; high-speed Wi-Fi; Blu-ray, streaming Netflix and Pandora; off-street parking and a bike rack.
The Buckingham Inn: 1615 Summit Ave., Madison, 608-819-8029
