St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

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Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church
St Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church.jpg
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Location1204, 1213, 1214, and 1215 S. Eighth St.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nearest cityMilwaukee
Coordinates 43°1′7.95″N87°55′17.12″W / 43.0188750°N 87.9214222°W / 43.0188750; -87.9214222
Built1885
ArchitectAndrew Elleson
Architectural styleVictorian Gothic
NRHP reference No. 87001736 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 25, 1987

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, or Iglesia Luterana San Pedro, is a historic church complex located in the Walker's Point neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2] [3]

Contents

History

St. Peter's congregation (Evangelisch Lutherischen St. Peters Gemeinde) was founded February 14, 1860, by German immigrants, with 34 charter members. In 1861, the congregation bought a frame building for its first church and moved it to the corner of South Eighth and West Scott Streets. In 1866, the congregation built a small brick-clad Gothic-influenced church designed by John Rugee. In 1873, the congregation added the frame parsonage which still survives, and, in 1879, the school building. [2] In 1884, 13 families were released from the congregation to establish Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church.[ citation needed ] The congregation is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). [4]

The current church building was designed by Milwaukee architect Andrew Elleson in Victorian Gothic style and built in 1885. It has a cruciform floor-plan, with a massive square tower on each side of the front entrance - one 100 feet (30 m) tall and the other 165 feet (50 m) tall. The pedimented gables on the larger tower have a German flavor, similar to St. Mary's in Lubeck. The spires on the towers and the peak of the gable are topped with crosses. The interior is well-preserved, with the altar standing in a tall apse, and in front of an antique white wood reredos. To the altar's left is an elevated goblet-shaped pulpit. A U-shaped balcony rings the sides and back of the nave, a common feature of 18th century churches in Germany. A large pipe organ (Wangerin-Weickhardt, Opus 146, 1914 / Verlinden Organ Co., Opus 641, 1948/49) commands the back. [2] [5]

Other remaining structures in the complex are:

In 1860, the congregation and building rose out of a working-class neighborhood of modest homes of immigrants. The south side is not so different in 1987. [2]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Les Vollmert; Paul Jakubovich (1987-04-15). "NRHP Nomination: St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church". National Park Service . Retrieved 2017-02-17. with 11 photos
  3. ↑ "Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  4. ↑ "St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee". St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  5. ↑ "Pipe Organs of Milwaukee | The Organ Historical Society's 68th Annual Convention" (PDF). Organ Historical Society . 2025. p. 67. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Parsonage)". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Hall)". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
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