Site Rental

Sharing the Magic of Shake Rag Alley

We delight in safely sharing our historic buildings and grounds — all of which are available to rent for your private event. Our charming site is versatile enough to accommodate your meetings and celebrations, from receptions to business meetings, family reunions, and graduations. We have updated our cleaning and sanitizing procedures to help ensure the safety of all who visit Shake Rag Alley. Your rental supports the general operations and historic preservation of our nonprofit arts education organization.

For more information, please contact us at info@shakeragalley.org or (608) 987-3292.

Lind Pavilion

Named in recognition of the community service of former board member John B. Lind (1941-2014) to the Iowa County area, the Lind Pavilion is approximately 3,200 square feet and features running water, HVAC and restrooms. This spacious mid-20th century building is the perfect spot for a large workshop or event. ADA compliant and handicap accessible. Set-up of 20 chairs and six 8’ tables included. Additional set-up available, charges are variable. Max Capacity: 150

Monday-Thursday daytime $110, evening $165
Friday, Saturday or Sunday $660 (or $440/per side)
Inquire about off-season weekend pricing!

This Quonset Hut was built in 1948 for John Boyd to serve as his J.J. Case farm equipment dealership. It was purchased by Shake Rag Alley in 2012 and is now used as a classroom and gathering place.

Alley Stage

Alley Stage is our outdoor theater located behind and above Ellery House on the site of a small quarry. The rental of the theater includes 125 chairs. There is access to electricity. $275

Alley Stage was landscaped and built in spring 2007, with much volunteer work and donations. Each spring it serves as the setting for Mineral Point Elementary’s fifth-grade graduation.

The Green

An outdoor space located in the front and central portion of the campus, The Green is approximately 1,080 square feet and can be used for a variety of events. It can be wired for some electrical access.

The Green has limited availability until early summer. Please inquire. $200

Cabinet Shop

Approximately 600 square feet in size, this space has electricity, heat, and an AC unit. There is no running water. Large format, heavy-duty wooden tables come with the use of this space at no extra cost. $200

This structure was built in the early 1970s from a design by Alan Pape, reflecting typical village woodworking operations. A garage door on the left was removed in 2004 to expand floor space for use as a classroom. In 2006 the walls were insulated and sided with boards from a Sun Prairie barn.

The central room of Ellery House was originally a typical Cornish one-room cut-stone cottage, of the 1840s or ’50s. Various frame additions transformed the building into a modern village home of the 1920s.

The Ellery House

Headquarters for our summer Youth Program, the main room is approximately 200 square feet and a second, sunny room 160 square feet. The Ellery House includes a kitchen, with refrigerator, a full bathroom and washer and dryer in addition to varied and flexible workspaces. There is access to electricity as well as heat and AC. Homey and practical, the space is flexible and easily organized for round-table and break-out discussions. A sunny front room, as well as the stone-walled central room just off the front porch, offer secluded meeting space with excellent views, kitchen space and a restroom. $200

The Art Café (Licensed Kitchen)

The lower level of the second building on campus, just behind the office, this climate-controlled space is approximately 450 square feet and can be used by licensed caterers. A residential refrigerator and industrial freezer are available, as is Wi-Fi. Two long tables and a some chairs can be made available. $100

Previously known as the Carriage House, the Art Café was built in 1973 by Robert Camardo as an antique restoration shop. The Art Café is connected to the Coach House by an original stone and mortar root cellar, still in use today as a tunnel between buildings. Expanded and converted for use as the Shake Rag Café in later years, it includes a partitioned and well-equipped kitchen.

Potter's House

Approximately 350 square feet in size, the Potter’s House has no running water, but there is close access to an outdoor faucet. There is access to electricity. This space has an AC unit and baseboard heaters. $100

This brick-walled cottage was constructed in the 1840s and occupied until the 1970s. Note the extreme deflection in the front wall, though the roofline is level. The gable end and front were partially rebuilt in the 1970s by an enterprising young mason who reset eroded bricks with the worn side inward. The large window in the gable end was added at that time.

The Potter’s House is the building set furthest back on the campus. Its backdrop is a steep wooded hillside and its ample sunny windows offer inspiring views of the log cabin and blacksmith barn, with a green space and butterfly garden steps away from the entrance.

Previous owners of Shake Rag Alley purchased this unusual French Cabin structure in Maine. It was built in Canada and demonstrates the rare piece-on-piece timber form and log construction technique used by French Canadians. Short horizontal timbers are fitted into grooves in vertical corner posts. The French Cabin sits adjacent to the 1830s log cabin.

Next to the French Cabin is the Monarch Garden, a bed of native plants established to support the diminishing population of this migratory butterfly.

Log Cabin

Approximately 150 square feet in size. There is no running water in the Log Cabin. Electricity is possible, but renter should state need at time of contract signing for access to electricity. No heating or air conditioning. $55

This Territorial Wisconsin log cabin was built in 1830 as a school and originally located a short distance to the east. It may be Wisconsin’s oldest schoolhouse. The stone cottage was built circa 1840 along with a stone cellar foundation to which the cabin was moved. The house was last occupied in 1958 by Tea Kettle Annie who dipped her kettle in the spring each day. When Al Felly developed the site in the 1970s he repaired and re-roofed the structure, adding the stone fireplace.

Blacksmith Barn

The barn is only rentable for its exterior. No events may take place inside the welding space or upstairs. There is access to electricity. $25

Site Rental Pricing

When you choose to host your celebration, meeting, festival, or educational events at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts, you are supporting the general operations of our nonprofit arts education organization.

The following rates reflect the cost per building and rental fees per day. A typical day is considered 8am to 5pm, but arrangements for earlier setup can be made. All events must end by 11 pm.

Shake Rag Alley cannot confirm a weekend rental of classroom spaces – Art Cafe, Blacksmith Barn, Cabinet Shop, Ellery House, Lind Pavilion, and Potter’s House – until the annual workshop schedule is finalized, usually by December 1 for the following year.

Additional Rental Items

Tables & Chairs: A limited supply of tables are available for rental. There are 15 8-foot tables and 5 6-foot tables available for rent for $5 each. This fee includes set-up and removal. There are 70 chairs available for rent for $3 each. This fee includes their set-up and removal. Two weeks prior to an event, a full list of chair and table needs and corresponding locations should be provided to Shake Rag Alley for use in set-up.

Some photos courtesy of: Kassie Ana Photography | Abbott’s Lane Rustic Editorial Photography | Vintage Bloom Portrait Studio