Property Record
305 S 1ST ST / STATE HIGHWAY 20
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH |
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| Other Name: | ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH |
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| Reference Number: | 10703 |
| Location (Address): | 305 S 1ST ST / STATE HIGHWAY 20 |
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| County: | Racine |
| City: | Waterford |
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| Year Built: | 1882 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1975 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Limestone |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' (Saint Thomas Aquinas Church and School) 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. POINTED ARCH WINDOWS AND DOORWAY. REPLACED PARISH'S 1ST CHURCH, BUILT 1851. HALF OF $20,000 BLDG COST IN LABOR DONATED BY PARISHIONERS. STONE QUOINS. ROUND WINDOW AND CLOCKS IN STEEPLE W/CORBELLED EAVES. The St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic parish dates to 1848 when Samuel Russ donated a half a block of land for the purpose of building a church. A church (no longer extant) was completed the next year and a school organized in a rented room in 1851. In 1853, the parish was formally recognized by Bishop J.M. Henni. A school was built in 1864 and an addition made in 1873. By 1880, eighty families belonged to the parish, which was too many for the initial church building. The subject Gothic Revival-style church was completed in 1882. A fund drive began in 1936 to construct a new school building, which was completed in 1941 at a cost of $55,000. The church interior was renovated in 1950 to include a new altar, confessionals and altar rail, and a new rectory was built in 1954. By this time, the school’s enrollment had risen to 397, which resulted in the completion of a school addition in 1960. A gymnasium addition followed in 1980. By the 2000s, the congregation membership was over 3,000 and the parish considered constructing a new church. It was completed in 2007 on the site of the church’s 1864 school. Architecture/History Survey of STH 20. WisDOT Project #2250-12-00, Prepared by Heritage Research (2012). |
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| Bibliographic References: | ZIMMERMANN, RUSSELL "THE HERITAGE GUIDEBOOK" (HERITAGE BANKS 1976). Racine Journal Times 5/18/2003. THE JOURNAL TIMES RACINE. "As parish looks to future, family fights to preserve history." 5/18/2003 St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church: Dedication Pictorial Directory (N.p.: By the church, 2007), 34-47. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |