National Register of Historic Places

Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church

Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Listed
September 24, 1987
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
87001736

About this property

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. 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. In 1884, 13 families were released from the congregation to establish Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church. The congregation is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). 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 commands the back. The 1873 parsonage is south of the church - a wood frame building in simplified Italianate style. It is now used for church offices. The 1879 school building stands across the street from the church - a 2-story Italianate-styled brick building designed by architect John Rugee. The 1898 social hall designed by O. C. Uehling stands south of the school. 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. St. Peter's to Celebrate Its 75th Birthday. Wisconsin Historical Society. American Lutheran Biographies (Rev. Reinhold Adelberg) Aged Pastor (Adelberg) Retires. Milwaukee Journal, October 7, 1895. Clergy Honors Pastor. Milwaukee Journal, September 11, 1911. 1862: The Beginning of Eleven Years of Trouble at St. Peter's Growing Pains in two South-Side Congregations: St. Peter's Ev. Lutheran Church & Christ Ev. Lutheran Church

Location

1204, 1213, 1214, and 1215 S. Eighth St.
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
43.01891, -87.92123

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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South Branch Library
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Saint Vincent's Infant Asylum
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Questions about this property

When was Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church listed on the National Register?

Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 24, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church?

Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church?

The period of significance for Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church is recorded as the industrial era.

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