Property Record
28075 State Highway 27
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 3880 |
| Location (Address): | 28075 State Highway 27 |
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| County: | Crawford |
| City: | Eastman |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 8 |
| Range: | 6 |
| Direction: | W |
| Section: | 24 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1918 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19762014 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| 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: | A 'site file' 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, State Historic Preservation Office. POLYCHROME SHINGLE WORK ON TOWER ROOF. POINTED ARCHED WINDOWS. DORMERS IN STEEPLE. Re-surveyed 2014. Appearance unchanged. The previously inventoried church is a two-story front gabled Late Gothic Revival church constructed in 1916-1918. The church is composed of coursed masonry to the eaves. From the eaves to the ridge line, the building is clad in red brick. A bell tower and steeple with a pyramidal roof rises in the center of the front (north)-facing facade. Like the main building, the lower portion of the bell tower is composed of stone and the upper portion is brick. Pointed arch doors and stained glass windows light the building at regular intervals. A small rose window is located in the center of the bell tower over the door and pointed arch stained glass window. A rounded aps is present on the southem elevation. A small brick addition with a gabled roof and pointed arch windows is located on the church's southeast comer. A Roman Catholic mission was established in Eastman in 1847 under the guidance of St. Gabriel's of Prairie du Chien. A church was constructed in 1881 and renovated in 1906. The present St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church replaced this earlier building between 1916 and 1918. The building is a good, intact example of the Late Gothic Revival style, which was popular in Wisconsin in the early twentieth century. The church exhibits the verticality, steeply pitched roof, lancet windows, and ashlar construction which were common for the style. Moreover, the building retains a high degree of integrity. The rectory and a 1962 parish hall are also located on the property. 2025: A fire destroyed the building in January 1918. Despite noted as being "burned to the ground" it is presumed that the stone walls were salvageable and that the red brick tower was part of the rebuilding. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Pelock, John and Dennis. “Eastman.” In Sesquicentennial of Crawford County, 1818-1819 – 1968-1969: A Historical Review, Wisconsin Room, Prairie du Chien Memorial Library. "Eastman Catholic Church Burns," The Marshfield News, 10 January 1918, 2. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |