Property Record
1005 OXFORD AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church |
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| Other Name: | First Lutheran Church |
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| Reference Number: | 41678 |
| Location (Address): | 1005 OXFORD AVE |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
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| Year Built: | 1919 |
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| Additions: | 1961 1940 |
| Survey Date: | 19972023 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | Brick |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Carl Volkman; Paul Hallbeck and Anderson (Education Building, 1961) |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | 2023: 1997: Cruciform in plan, the First Lutheran Church provides an interesting combination of Gothic and Tudor elements. Highlighting the main facade of the brick structure are twin towers capped by dome roofs and distinguished by louvred Tudor arch openings and a long, narrow stained glass window. The gabled portion of the facade features a three-part stained glass window framed by a Tudor arch. Below, are three Tudor arched entrances. Stone outlines the arches, the roofline, and wraps sections of the towers. An annex at the east end of the building was added in the mid-twentieth century and an educational building at the north side in 1916. Reflecting the influx of Norwegian-born settlers in the area, a Lutheran congregation was established in 1865. A church on the north side of the Eau Claire River at the corner of N. Dewey and Wisconsin Streets was completed in 1869. In 1876 a west side church at Fifth Avenue and Hudson Street was opened. The present church, which replaced the two smaller edifices, was erected in 1919 and dedicated in 1920. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Cornerstone. (B) First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church 70th Anniversary, 1935. Pamphlet available at L.E. Phillips Library. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |