| Additional Information: | This church property is comprised of four Contemporary structures: a 1958 school/chapel (678 Western Avenue; AHI#207181); a 1961 rectory (232 S. Peters Avenue; AHI#207161); a 1966 convent (231 Evans Drive; AHI#207162) and a 1978 church (200 S. Peters Avenue; AHI#202161). The school/chapel is one story in height and is faced with brick. The original long expanses of windows have been partially infilled to accommodate pairs of sash openings. To the south of the former school/chapel is the former convent which is comprised of a two-story wing on the north, with a one-story wing to the south. It is faced with brick and includes regularly placed, sash or slider windows. Across the parking lot/playground area and to the east of the convent is the rectory. A central, two-story gabled block is flanked by a one-story, flat-roofed office to the north and a flat-roofed, four-car garage to the south. Windows, which are regularly arranged, are largely paired sash examples. Finally, the one-story, somewhat elliptically-shaped church is faced with a dark brown brick. Modest brickwork as well as a few expanses of faceted glass windows delineate the outer walls. A #28;negative#29; brick cross rises from the center of the church roof.
In 1956, investigations began in regards to the establishment of a new Catholic parish on Fond du Lac's west side. The Rev. Raymond L. Fox, assistant pastor at St. Mary's, headed the work. on 31 January 1956, 10 acres were purchased at the corner of S. Peters & Western avenues. Established on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the new congregation chose Sacred Heart as its name. The first meeting was held on 30 June 1957 in the gym at St. Mary's, with 400 persons in attendance. A temporary rectory was established at 507 Highland Court and Sunday mass was held at Evans School at 140 S. Peters Avenue. The congregation purchased in March of 1958 the Memorial Baptist Church at the corner of S. Peters & Western avenues and the first service was held there in April. However, Sunday mass was still held at Evans School. On 8 June 1958, ground breaking for the congregation's new church/school occurred and school opened in September 1959 with six grades and 233 students. Seventh grade was added in 1960 and eighth grade the following year.
Designed by Sylvester Stepnoski and built by the C.D. Smith Co., the rectory at 232 S. Peters was completed in 1961. Five years later, the convent, located across the parking lot from the rectory and directly behind (south of) the school, was built. It was designed by Stepnoski & Peterson, with Gross Bros. serving as contractors. A church-building fund began in 1974 and within three years, a permit to build a church was issued by the City. Plans were drawn by Jim Gabriel of Stubenrauch Associates of Sheboygan and actual construction was completed by Hutter Construction. Dedication was held on 27 August 1978. In 1998, the decision was made to merge six parishes (which included Sacred Heart) to form the Holy Family Catholic Community. Although a new Holy Family church was completed in 2007, mass is still held at Sacred Heart, St. Mary's, and St. Peter's in Malone. |
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