Property Record
5635 N SANTA MONICA BLVD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Monica School |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 182221 |
| Location (Address): | 5635 N SANTA MONICA BLVD |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Whitefish Bay |
| Township/Village: | |
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| Year Built: | 1928 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | school – elem/middle/jr high/high |
| Architectural Style: | Spanish/Mediterranean Styles |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Arthur C. Runzler |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
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| Additional Information: | St. Monica School, designed by A. C. Runzler at the cost of $100,000, began construction in 1927. It opened for grades one through eight in the fall of 1928, and was staffed by lay teachers and Sisters of the order of Immaculate Heart of Mary from Monroe, Michigan. Two of its prominent architectural features are the octagonal library and chimney disguised as an Italian campanile. The parish used its basement as a sanctuary until 1939. In 1931, the first changes to the school building occurred in the addition of a 65-foot-tall belfry to house the church’s new collection of bells as well as an addition housing a new dining room, school offices, storage, and a first floor doctor’s clinic. The school received a classroom and gymnasium addition in 1950. Connected to the school, the St. Monica Convent was also completed that year to house the sisters who taught there. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Building permit records on file at Whitefish Bay Village Hall. Whitefish Bay Historical Research Project. Volume 9. Mimi Bird Collection, Whitefish Bay: Whitefish Bay Public Library |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |