Property Record
112 MCHENRY ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 10649 |
| Location (Address): | 112 MCHENRY ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Racine |
| City: | Burlington |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1854 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19752011 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cobblestone |
| Architect: | VICTOR SCHULTE |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | POINTED ARCH ENTRY AND DIAMOND-PANED GRISAILLE GLASS WINDOWS. TALL STEEPLE REPLACED BY CUPOLA/BELFRY. 2ND FLR. BUILT THROUGH NAVE TO CONVERT CHURCH TO SCHOOL IN 1893. THIS CHURCH REPLACED ST.SEBASTIAN'S BUILT 1844. THIS CHURCH REPLACED BY ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. HABS WI-126. During the early 1840s, a Catholic parish was established. In 1843, land on both sides of State Street immediately east of McHenry Street was purchased, which included a partially finished stone residence that after completion was used as a parish house. A small stone church, 30 by 40-feet, was constructed at the cost of $580 on the north side of State Street in 1847. At this time, the congregation was named St. Sebastian under the care of its first permanent priest, Rev. Michael Wisbauer. St. Sebastian Catholic Church soon established the first parochial school in Burlington. In 1859, at which time the parish constructed a new church, the St. Sebastian church was renovated to provide additional space for St. Sebastian School and served as such until 1893. At that time, the building was sold to the St. Eustachius Benevolent Society and became known as Eustachius Hall. The original St. Sebastian parish house was razed in 1913, and the old St. Sebastian church was demolished in 1965. By 1854, the St. Sebastian parish had outgrown their original church, and a new cobblestone church designed by Victor Schulte was constructed by John Kemptner at 112 McHenry Street. Completed in 1859, it was dedicated with the name Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. New iron window sashes produced by the Wagner & Klein foundry were installed in 1870. In 1893, the Immaculate Conception Church was renovated, including removal of the steeple and roof alterations to accommodate a new second floor auditorium, to house St. Mary Catholic School, and served as such until the mid-1950s. The church building continues to serve the congregation today as a large gathering hall. After Rev. Wisbauer’s death in 1889, his successor, Rev. Theodore Jacobs, proposed an ambitious solution for Immaculate Conception Church’s overextended space needs. These plans included constructing a new and larger church, erecting a new rectory, and converting the Immaculate Conception Church into a larger facility for the parish school. Rev. Jacobs purchased a portion of the Sisters of Notre Dame property at the corner of McHenry and State Streets and donated it to the parish. There the new church, with a prominent 186-foot tower, was erected by masons Rueter & Zarnecky with great speed at a cost of over $60,000. It was dedicated St. Mary Church in 1891 at 100 McHenry Street. The new rectory was also constructed in 1891, by contractors Joseph and Frank Rueter and mason Alber Kroening, on McHenry Street between the St. Mary and Immaculate Conception Churches. A new sanctuary, side altars, and a newly excavated basement meeting hall were completed in St. Mary Church in 1915. A fire on July 24, 1977, at St. Mary Church destroyed the roof and portions of the steeple. As part of the $2.6 million restoration, the Good Shepherd Chapel was completed in 1979. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | ZIMMERMANN, RUSSELL "THE HERITAGE GUIDEBOOK" (HERITAGE BANKS 1976) General Files. On file at the Burlington Historical Society, Burlington, Wisconsin. Perrin, Richard W. E., Historic Wisconsin Architecture, First Revised Edition (Milwaukee, 1976). |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |