Grace Episcopal Church (J. Lehrke photo, 2009)

First Methodist Episcopal Church (J. Lehrke photo, 2009)

Hope Reformed Church (J. Lehrke photo, 2009)

St. Mark Lutheran Church (J. Lehrke photo, 2009)

Downtown Churches Historic District
Generally bounded by Erie Avenue, N 6th Street, Ontario Avenue, and N 7th Street, Sheboygan, Sheboygan County
Architects: Edgar A. Stubenrauch; William Russell West
Dates of construction of contributing buildings: 1871-1968

Situated between the downtown business district and a residential area, the Downtown Churches Historic District is a well defined cluster of religious buildings. The four congregations located in the district represent four distinct faiths, each with a medium-size, well-designed, and well-maintained church building. The churches are representative of the prevailing architectural styles of their time, including High Victorian Gothic, late Gothic Revival, elements of the Tudor Revival, and Contemporary architectural styles, reflecting a century of religious architecture.

As a group, there is a distinct pattern of features that is common to all of the contributing resources. The churches are of similar size and scale; they are highly irregular, vertical and picturesque in their massing. All of the walls are of masonry, whether it is brick or stone or a combination; and, the walls are punctuated with stained glass windows. The buildings are topped with steeply pitched roofs, which are reflected on the interior with dramatically tall ceilings supported by heavy wooden timbers.

Of particular note, Grace Episcopal Church is significant for its formation of Boy Scout Troop 1 in 1911. It was the first Boy Scout troop in the state, formed just one year after the formation of the National Boy Scouts of America.

The buildings are open during posted service hours.