Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church
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Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church
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| Location | 605 S. 4th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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| NRHP reference No. | 72000062 |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1972 |
The Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church is a very old church building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was built in 1850. Today, it is one of the oldest church buildings still standing in the city. It looks much like it did when it was first built. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special building recognized for its history.
Contents
History of Holy Trinity Church
Early Settlers and Church Beginnings
The area called Walker's Point was settled in the 1830s. Many of the first people who lived there were German-speaking Catholics. They came from places like southern Germany and Austria. In the late 1840s, a priest named Father Salzmann helped these German-speaking Catholics. He organized them into the Holy Trinity parish. This was a new church community for them.
Building the Church
A German architect named Victor Schulte designed the main part of Holy Trinity Church. He also designed another church called St. Mary's. The church has strong brick walls that have turned a soft gray color over time. The walls have flat, column-like shapes called pilasters. These shapes frame large, round-topped windows. The roof is low and mostly hidden by a brick wall at the top, called a parapet. The church's style is similar to a German design called Zopfstil. This style is like the American Federal style. When it was first built, the church did not have a tall steeple.
Inside, there are three front doors. They lead into a small entrance area called a vestibule. Beyond that, the main part of the church, called the nave, has rows of pews. These pews lead down a middle aisle to a rounded area at the front, called the chancel. The church was officially opened on September 22, 1850. John Henni, who was the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, led the dedication ceremony.
Adding the Steeple and Renovations
The tall church steeple was added later, in 1862. It was designed by Leonard A. Schmidtner, who was also trained in Germany. The steeple has an eight-sided tower that rises behind the front of the church. Above that is a smaller eight-sided section. On top of that is a very tall spire with four windows. A cross sits high above everything.
The inside of the church was updated in 1863. A clock was put into the tower in 1869. More changes were made to the inside in 1874. A large pipe organ was installed in 1878. The beautiful wooden altarpieces were added in 1890. They were built by Aegidius Hackner from La Crosse.
Changes in the Community
Over many years, fewer German families lived in the neighborhood around the church. More families of Puerto Rican and Mexican-American heritage moved in. In the 1960s, Holy Trinity's church community joined with Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Even with these changes, the church building itself still looks much like it did in the 1800s. It is an important part of the Walker's Point Historic District.
