First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church Photograph by James T. Potter, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society
1893, Walter A. Holbrook. 110 Church Ave.

Holbrook of Milwaukee designed this handsome Richardsonian Romanesque brick church, giving it a massive tower, dramatic round arches, a steeply pitched hipped roof pierced with dormers, and foliated trim along the cornice and in the gable apex. The massing takes the form of a series of blocks, attached in a rambling fashion. Almost tentatively attached at one corner, the square tower, with a pyramidal roof, squared buttresses, and both round and segmental arches, enhances the building’s mass, as does a smaller conical tower affixed to one of its corners. Smooth red brick walls contrast with white stone trim for the broad-arched voussoirs, stringcourses, and buttresses.

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