Cadillac House - Cudahy, Wisconsin
Rick Serocki first placed an old tractor as a decoration to his front yard back in 1995. Over the next few years he added other unusual antiques to spark conversation and make an interesting display on an otherwise conventional street in this Milwaukee suburb. In the spring of 2000 he made a dramatic addition to the yard display with the shell of a 1955 Cadillac, sawed in half to look like the middle section was buried in the ground, a sort of double-ended version of Cadillac Ranch. The car brought reporters and national attention, as well as some disapproval from neighbors.
In the years since, he has added more to the yard. Welded metal sculptures ride old motorcycles. Fiberglass mascots from fast food restaurants add a bit of pop-culture whimsy in contrast to the antique telephone boxes and lamp posts. Though some of the antique items represent local Milwaukee history, like a police call box in the backyard, the yard is less of a museum of artifacts than a playful combination of surprising objects. Though the yard is crowded, it is not cluttered. Serocki repaints the Cadillac often so that it looks colorful and intentional, not a rusty wreck abandoned in the yard. The art seems aimed at surprising passersby or sparking a conversation among neighbors more than creating a garden space useable by the residents. While the yard stands out on the block dramatically, the 1940s-era house hidden behind looks much like its neighbors.
Serocki continues to add new finds to the yard. These photos were taken on a visit in 2013. Much has been added and changed since then.
"Unique Antiques," Vikki Ortiz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 26, 2000
"Pop culture icons fill Lake Drive yard," Chantall Balzell, Cudahy News, April 15, 2009
Cadillac, Big Boy, Hamburglar, Farmall tractor in Cudahy WI yard, Mark Czerniec, April 19, 2009
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