Property Location
| Location (Address) | 2401 69TH ST |
|---|---|
| County | Kenosha |
| City/Village | Kenosha |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 2017 |
| Historic Use | school – elem/middle/jr high/high |
| Architectural Style | Contemporary |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Brick |
| Architect | Mark F. Pfaller Associates (architect),T.s. Willis Co (contractor) |
| Other Buildings On Site | Y |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments |
St. Joseph High School was created by the combined efforts of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the School Sisters of St. Francis and ten Kenosha Roman Catholic parishes to open a Catholic high school in the City of Kenosha. The group obtained a ten-acre tract wooded tract formerly known as Anderson Park on Kenosha’s south side and hired the architectural firm of Mark F. Pfaller Associates of Wauwatosa to design the school. The T.S. Willis Company of Janesville served as the general contractor. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on 9 September 1955. Work concentrated on the east side classroom wings which were ready for students at the beginning of the 1957-1958 school year. The western portion of the building was completed in 1958 and the grand opening festivities occurred for Kenosha’s largest school between 15 and 19 October of that year. Once fully opened, the school consisted of forty-one classrooms, 1,022-seat auditorium, a separate 200-seat theater, 2,000-seat gymnasium, library, four science laboratories, four business classrooms, home economic lab, music room and a cafeteria. The fourth floor was reserved as the living quarters for the nuns assigned to the school. The convent area included fifty small bedrooms, communal study room, recreation room, kitchen, bathrooms and a rooftop veranda. A 100-seat chapel on the second floor was also reserved for the nuns, as well as staff. Enrollment for the 1958-1959 school year was 814. Rev. Leslie A. Darnieder was the principal who headed a teaching staff consisting of 23 nuns from the School Sisters of St. Francis, seven lay teachers and nine priests from the local parishes. Academic departments consisted of English, science, religion, mathematics, social studies, commercial/business, languages, home economics, art, music and physical education. St. Joseph operated as a four-year Catholic high school until 2010, when it was combined with St. Mark the Evangelist Elementary School and St. Joseph Interparish Junior High School for form the St. Joseph Catholic Academy. Today, its enrollment stands at about 800 students. Finger-plan school layout; glass-and-panel curtain walls; Indiana and Kasota limestone panels. |
| Bibliographic References | “St. Joseph High School.” Dedication ceremony insert in Kenosha News, October 1958. Located in Parochial School Folder, Local History Files, Kenosha Public Library Southwest, Kenosha, WI. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Not Listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | |
| State Register Listing Date | |
| Contributing |
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