Property Record
NE CNR OF PLEASANT VIEW AND OLD SAUK RDS
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | German Lutheran Church of Middleton |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 4807 |
| Location (Address): | NE CNR OF PLEASANT VIEW AND OLD SAUK RDS |
|---|---|
| County: | Dane |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Middleton |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 7 |
| Range: | 8 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 15 |
| Quarter Section: | SW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SE |
| Year Built: | 1866 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1885 |
| Survey Date: | 1977 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | First Lutheran Church |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 6/16/1988 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | 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, State Historic Preservation Office. German immigrants, attracted by the area's fertile soil, began arriving in the Town of Middleton in 1846 and soon became the dominant ethnic group. This handsome church, with its adjacent cemetery, is the only remaining public building in Middleton that is associated with its German heritage. By 1866, the original log church could no longer accommodate the growing congregation, so the members arranged for the construction of a frame church in the Greek Revival idiom, evident in the triangular pediment. Nineteen years later, however, the congregation enlarged the building, and the builder redesigned the church’s exterior in a simple yet striking interpretation of the Gothic Revival. He incorporated pointed lancet windows, along with a new steeple embellished by a lancet-arched belfry, curved Gothic tracery, a bracketed cornice, and an octagonal spire. Inside, lancet arches and gilded pinnacles on the altar and the organ-pipe screen continue the Gothic theme. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | IRONWOOD DAILY GLOBE 8/3/1996. "MIDDLETON CENTENNIAL BOOK" (1956). WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 2/20/1994, P. 2G. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 7/10/1994. THE CAPITAL TIMES 9/26/1994. MIDDLETON TIMES TRIBUNE 9/21/1995. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 7/1/1996. CHIPPEWA FALLS HERALD TELEGRAM 7/6/1996. The Capital Times 1/2/1999. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |