A Tribute to Mr. Chips

Unfinished wood in the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge

After spending a few minutes in our Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge, you may notice something peculiar. While most of the wood carvings around the property are impeccable, a stretch of wooden beams and cornices near the bar remain unfinished - bearing only the black marker outlines of what would have one day been carvings. To the average visitor, this may seem like a mistake. To us, however, it is a small way of honoring the artist responsible for this great work.

Mr. Alexander Zeller, a renowned Bavarian woodworker from Munich, Germany, was the talented man behind the wood. Nicknamed “Mr. Chips,” (for the piles of wood chips he created as he worked) he had been commissioned by churches, public buildings, commercial businesses, and individuals to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind art pieces in his native style.

Catching word of his stunning work, Alex Madonna commissioned him to sculpt an array of wooden masterpieces for the nearly-constructed Madonna Inn of the late 1950s. These pieces include the elaborate wooden doors at the Steak House and breezeway entrances, handrails, decorative beams, and more.

Tragically, Mr. Zeller fell ill shortly after the Inn’s grand opening in 1961 and passed away before he was able to finish all the pieces intended for the property. Rather than find another artist to complete the work, Mr. and Mrs. Madonna felt it most respectful to display the work - unfinished - as a tribute to the dear Mr. Chips. To this day, the unfinished pieces in the bar, as well as two large panels near the breezeway doors, serve as a loving legacy to this talented fellow who helped bring the Madonna Inn to life.