National Register of Historic Places

Tripoli Temple

Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Listed
January 16, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86000142

About this property

The Tripoli Shrine Temple is a Shriners temple built 1926–28 in the Concordia neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The building's design incorporates Moorish and Indian elements, somewhat resembling the Taj Mahal in India. It is not a religious building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Tripoli Temple. The Tripoli Shrine was founded in 1885 by nobles from the Medinah Temple in Chicago, a fraternal order that traces its lineage to a Masonic lodge established in 1843 by early settlers of Milwaukee. This lodge later founded a dozen other lodges. Tripoli Temple was designed by architects Alfred Clas and Shepard in Moorish Revival style. Built at a cost of $616,999.61, it formally opened on May 14, 1928, after over two years of construction. It was the first temple in Wisconsin, and was home to 13,000 Shriners in the area. The building is one of the best of examples of Moorish Revival architecture in the United States, a style that was particularly popular for synagogues and movie theaters. The Temple's design is loosely based on the Taj Mahal, with the addition of Mudéjar style polychrome stone coursing. An ornately tiled main dome that spans 30 feet in diameter crowns the structure and is flanked by two smaller domes of like design. Sculptures depicting a pair of kneeling camels grace the entrance, while the interior is decorated with ceramic tile of intricate floral designs and plaster lattice work.

Location

3000 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
43.03910, -87.95148

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
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

Howie, David W., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Esbenshade, Abraham H., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Grand Avenue Elementary School
Industrial
0.2 mi
Walker, Harry B., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Schuster, George, House and Carriage Shed
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tripoli Temple listed on the National Register?

Tripoli Temple was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 16, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Tripoli Temple?

Tripoli Temple is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tripoli Temple?

The period of significance for Tripoli Temple is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Tripoli Temple?

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