Property Record
151 S 84th St
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Charles Boys Home - Residence B |
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| Reference Number: | 229419 |
| Location (Address): | 151 S 84th St |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1978 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2014 |
| Historic Use: | |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Part of Saint Charles Boys Home Complex. See AHIs 118355, 229415, 229416, 229417, 229418, 229419 for more information 2014 The Saint Charles Boys Home, now the Saint Charles Youth and Family Services, is a large campus of eight buildings on approximately 16 acres of land. The historic portion of the campus was designed over a period of 20 years, between 1951 and 1975, by Mark Pfaller & Associates architects(1). The earliest building is a Contemporary-style Dormitory/Church (AHI# 118355), constructed in 1951. It is comprised of a two-story church flanked on all sides by one-story wings. It has an irregular plan, clad in brick, and has a flat roof. Restrained limestone ornamentation is on the main (east) facade, which features a limestone cross surrounded by a small, circular, stained glass window. The main entrance is slightly raised and has two doors. A carved limestone date stone is in the brick planter next to the concrete entrance stairs. First-story windows on each elevation have been replaced with glass blocks. To the south of the Dormitory/Church is the Administration Building (AHI# 229415), constructed in 1964. It has an L-shape plan, is clad in brick, and has a flat roof with wide overhanging eaves. The main entrance is on the east facade; it is recessed with glass doors and flanked by square brick columns. Windows are arranged in bands of three and four, and groups of windows wrap around each corner. To the west of the Administration Building is the Brother’s Residence (AHI# 229416) constructed in 1958. It is a one-story building with a front gable roof. It has a rectangular plan and is clad in brick. The main entrance, on the east facade, is covered by a flat roof portico supported by simple square columns. The entrance is flanked by groupings of four, one-over-one, double-hung windows. Windows on the north and south (side) elevations are fixed square windows tucked below the eaves; one has been replaced by glass block. To the southeast of the Brother’s Residence is the New School (AHI# 22917), constructed in 1963. It is a one-story building with a low hip roof with wide eaves. It has a rectangular plan and is clad in brick. The main entrance has a deep portico with a flat roof supported by square brick columns. The recessed main entrance is a pair of glass doors. To the south of the New School are Residential Buildings A and B (AHI# 229418 and AHI# 229419), constructed in 1978. Each is one story with an irregular roof, general U-plan, and clad in brick. Both have east-facing front facades with central main entrances. Windows are a mix of rectangular casements and replacement glass block. A large, modern residence and gym are located to the north of the Dormitory/Church and do not meet the survey criteria. The Saint Charles Boys Home was established by the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese in 1923 as a home for “incorrigible and delinquent boys from age 12 to 17.” (2) By 1945 the original building was too small and the church began to raise money for a new building (3). In 1951 local architect Mark Pfaller was hired to design the main dormitory building, as well as a garage and shop area (both are nonextant). In 1958 he was hired to design an additional building for a brother’s residence. By 1960 he had developed a master plan for the campus, including land to the north that is no longer under control of the Boy’s Home, which originally owned all land from 84th Street north to 92nd Street. Several other buildings were completed during this 20-year span, including the gymnasium and transition home, which are nonextant (4). In the 1970s the property moved from strictly a boy’s home to general family services. Since the 1970s new modern buildings have been added to the site, including a large residential building and gym. It is still operated by the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese. Mark Pfaller was born in Jefferson, Wisconsin, in 1892. He began his career with local Milwaukee architect Henry C. Hensel before working at both the City of Milwaukee’s Engineering Department and the Department of Public Works. In 1918 he formed a partnership with Nicholas P. Backes and worked with him until 1924. In the 1950s he organized Mark F. Pfaller Associates with his son, Mark A. Pfaller. He was active in a number of Catholic organizations, which led to a high number of commissions for Catholic churches and schools. Pfaller died in 1982 at the age of 90 (5). |
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| Bibliographic References: | (1) All dates are from the plans of Saint Charles Boys Home, available at the Milwaukee Public Library Architectural Archives, at the Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wis. (2) “Cornerstone is Laid for St. Charles Boys’ Home in Wauwatosa”; State Board of Control of Wisconsin, Laws of Wisconsin (Statues 1935) Relating to the Charitable, Curative, Reformatory, and Penal Institutions and Agencies (N.p: Legislative Reference Bureau, 1936), http://books.google.com/books?id=ONVGAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22st+charles+boys+home%22+wisconsin&source=gbs_navlinks_s (accessed 16 December 2014), 2890. (3) "Church Seeks $750,000 for Schools, Boys’ Home,” The Milwaukee Journal, 1 July 1945, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19450701&id=CPAZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IiMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4780,7279 (accessed 16 December 2014). (4) All dates are from the plans of Saint Charles Boys Home, available at the Milwaukee Public Library Architectural Archives, at the Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wis. (5) Milwaukee Preservation Commission, “Permanent Historic Designation Study Report: Former Schlitz Tavern/Conventry Inn, 2501 West Greenfield Avenue,” December 2009, http://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cityHPC/DesignatedReports/vticnf/SchlitzTavernCoventryInn.pdf (accessed 16 December 2014). |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |