| Additional Information: | 1975:LARGE CIRCULAR ROSE WINDOWS IN CLERESTORY. ROUND ARCH WINDOWS ON FIRST STORY. A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. ENTRY W/ROSE WINDOW. SQUARE TOWERS W/CUPOLAS FLANK ENTRY. construction begun 1923, ext. finished 1927, int. finished 1931, parish organized 1885 in Pulaski, parish school and convent added later, this is third church at Pulaski.
2010:This brick-constructed, Romanesque-style church is dominated by a pair of patterned brickwork towers along its primary (south) elevation. The one-story, central entrance projects from the main block and features compound arches that encompass a carved stone tympanum. Round-arched, secondary entrances are located to either side of the central entry, while a rose window and another carved tympanum are located above the entrances. A single buttress projects from each of the towers, which are topped with stone figures; one of St. Peter and the other of St. Paul. Side walls of the church feature a projecting, one-story side aisle, above which is the clerestory level which features a series of rose windows. Brick pilasters divide both the side aisle and clerestory levels into bays. One-story projections on both the side elevations reflect the confessionals of the interior. A hipped-roof wing to the east side of the church houses a chapel for the Franciscan Friars, while the hipped-roof wing to the west includes the sacristy. Extending from the church to the west and north is a school, gymnasium and convent addition (AHI#162261) that was added in 1956-57. A modern grotto (the Lourdes Shrine, 1987, AHI#162341) is located at the front of the church property, while modern signage with community information is located at the southwest corner.
Statement of Significance
The subject church was formally dedicated in 1931 by the congregation of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ABVM), which was officially established in Pulaski in 1887. The following year a Franciscan monastery was completed and in 1892, a church was erected. By 1904, the congregation had grown such that their modest frame church was too small. Shortly thereafter, the Franciscan Friars deeded 20 acres the Bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and by 1908, the congregation had built a church basement. Having raised sufficient funds to build the upper level of the church, a new building committee was formed in 1920, which chose the Chicago architectural firm of Worthman & Steinbach to design the subject structure. They quickly determined that the existing church basement would not support the new church design and the basement structure was demolished. Construction of the new church began in 1923 and the exterior was completed by the end of 1926;however, the interior was not. For the next four years the congregation was again relegated to the basement level for services, until dedication services were held in the upper level in September of 1931. Parish meetings were conducted in Polish until 1946 and Polish-language sermons were reduced to select days and times as of 1955. The interior of the church was redecorated in 1957 and again in 1977, both times by the Potente Decorating Co. of Kenosha. The congregation continues to thrive and the school still serves students of Pulaski's Roman Catholic community. |
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| Bibliographic References: | The Roman Catholic Church: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Pulaski, WI, Diocese of Green Bay, 75 Years. 1963.
construction begun 1923, ext. finished 1927, int. finished 1931, parish organized 1885 in Pulaski, parish school and convent added later, this is third church at Pulaski.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Pulaski, Wisconsin, Centennial Celebration, 1887-1987 (Pulaski, WI: Franciscan Publishers, 1988), n.p. |
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