Tom Boldt has spent five decades building things out of thin air — hospitals, manufacturing facilities, art centers and a seven‑and‑a‑half‑ton bronze sculpture based on Harry Houdini’s most famous illusion where he would magically swap places with his assistant inside a chain‑locked box.
The latter, named “Metamorphosis” for Houdini’s trick, was welded in‑house and donated by Boldt as part of Appleton’s Houdini Plaza redevelopment in 1985 which paid tribute to the former Appleton resident. Tom served on the plaza commemoration committee, which kickstarted his love of magic.
“I’m just so impressed by the thought process. There’s a mental aspect to it. There’s a dexterity part of it. There’s this whole communication part of it,” Tom says of magic, though he could just as easily be describing a construction job.
Tom tracked down artifacts for the dedication of Houdini Plaza. That led him to Sid Radner, a protégé of Houdini’s brother.
“[Sid] took me under his wing and introduced me into the world of magic,” Tom says.
Through him, Tom met greats such as David Copperfield and Doug Henning and was introduced to the Magic Collectors Association. Tom prefers collecting magic artifacts more than performing tricks himself — his own collection has grown to include original posters, lobby cards, broadsides, letters, scrapbooks and an original photo of Houdini given to him by Houdini’s niece.
2026, the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s death, has been declared the “Year of Houdini” and will be celebrated throughout the Fox Cities in a variety of ways. Last month, Tom helped bring the annual convention of the Society of American Magicians to Appleton — which he has been attempting to do since the ’90s — where more than 200 magicians attempted to set the world record for most magicians escaping from Siberian chains. Part of the free public event included magician Houdini II escaping from a straitjacket while dangling 100 feet in the air from a Boldt crane.
“I have this great interest in magic, but I also have this interest in the Fox Cities and in promoting that history,” Tom says.
In June, Tom underwent his own metamorphosis — the fourth‑generation Boldt leader retired after a 50‑year career with the family construction business and is now The Boldt Group’s board chairman.
Admittedly, retirement hasn’t converted Tom into a practicing magician. “I’d rather work on my golf game than magic tricks,”
he says.
But he leaves the door open: “When I can’t golf, maybe I should be working on my magic.”
