Property Record
209 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Sacred Heart Church |
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| Other Name: | Resurrection Catholic Church |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 114462 |
| Location (Address): | 209 MAIN ST |
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| County: | Washington |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Addison |
| Unincorporated Community: | Allenton |
| Town: | 11 |
| Range: | 18 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 15 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1917 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1999 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Parish was organized in 1917. Merged with St. Anthony of Padua and Saints Peter and Paul in 1997 and name was changed to Resurrection Catholic Church. In the late 1950s the church was remodeled and a separate school building was constructed. The school closed in 1969. 1999- "The Sacred Heart Church (currently the Resurrection Catholic Church) was built in 1918 on one of the highest points in Allenton. There are three additional buildings associated with the property: a rectory, a convent, and a school building. The church is a brick building with a gable roof and a square bell tower. A large round brick addition is attached to the rear of the building, and was added in 1959. The rectory is a four-square cube brick building with a flat-top pyramidal roof with flared eaves. Built in 1920, the building has undergone conspicuous alterations. Foremost is the prominent addition of an enlarged and enclosed front porch. The original open porch ran the full facade of the building, had a flat roof with an upper balcony area, doric posts, and a wood railing with decorative spindles. The depth of the porch has been extended and it rests on a concrete block foundation. Formerly an open porch, it has been enclosed with board and batten siding. A large, two-story, two-bay garage, sided in the same material as the porch, has been added to the rear facade. The facades (including the window openings) of the two gabled dormers that protrude from the front and west roof facades have been sided with aluminum, obscuring the original window openings and siding. Other window openings remain unchanged. The convent is a gabled brick building that was built in 1926. Located behind the rectory, this building has had its roof dormers extended. The building remains in use as a convent. The 1959 school building is located behind the convent and faces Church Street. It is a one-story brick building and features a ribbon of large-pane windows characteristic of the International style. The first church in Allenton was built in 1918. Permission was given by Archbishop Sebastian Messmer to start a new parish in the village of Allenton, with provision that a Catholic school be opened with the church. The construction of the church was initiated by Father Anthony Lauer in 1917. Five people were named to the building committee: Sebastian Schmidt, Mike H. Schmitt, Joseph Weinert, P.J. VanBeek, and Mike Weis. The land for the new parish was donated by Sebastian Schmidt. The people of Allenton helped with the construction of the church: they dug the basement, hauled bricks, laid the sidewalk, and donated building materials. The cornerstone was laid July 29, 1917, with ArchbishopS. Messmer preaching a German sermon. The Dedication Mass in the new parish church of the Sacred Heart took place February 11, 1918. Roughly one-third of the church building was used for school area, with classrooms downstairs, and living area for the nuns upstairs. The pastor lived in the new Joseph Weinert home east of the church until the rectory was built in 1920, at a cost of$11,000. During the pastorate of Father Anthony Erz, a convent for the nuns was built in 1926, at a cost of $6,000. Picnics and festivals were a continuous part of parish life to reduce the debts of the church and to build a fund for a future school. During the 12 years Father Leo Skalitzky served, the fund grew and additional land was purchased for playground use and future building. A small building was built to the south of the church to house grades 7 and 8. Father Robert Schweizer arrived in 1949 and reorganized the financial system, initiating a donation system. Father Thaddeus Dolata worked with his parish to increase the fund that would provide for building improvements. During Father George Etzel's 8 years of service, the church was remodeled and enlarged. In 1959, a new four-room school was completed and the old school area became part of the remodeled church. New confessionals, a sanctuary, sacristies, and side exits were also added. The seating capacity was doubled, new pews were added, and a new kitchen was built in the remodeled parish hall in the basement of the church. The new school opened in September of 1959 under the continued dedication of the school Sisters of St. Francis. A shortage of sisters necessitated the adding of lay teachers and consolidation with St. Mathias. The Franciscan order withdrew their teaching sisters in 1969 and the school closed. The school building was rented to the Slinger Public Schools in the 1970s. The original 7th and 8th grade school building was moved to the Sportsman Club land." -"Allenton 7.5, Washington Co.", WisDOT#1412-02-00, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc., (1999). |
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| Bibliographic References: | Washington County History and Driving Tours presented by the Washington County Landmarks Commission, 1999. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |