Property Record
145 WEST AVE S
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | First Church of Christ, Scientist |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 42407 |
| Location (Address): | 145 WEST AVE S |
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| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
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| Year Built: | 1922 |
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| Additions: | 1929 |
| Survey Date: | 19962019 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
| Architect: | S.S. Beman |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Cass and King Street Residential Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 11/7/1997 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 4/22/1997 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Plain projecting cornice with parapet above; projecting gable-roofed vestibule with open wooden portico supported by colossal Ionic columns with parapet above the entablature; portico placed on raised podium; double-leafed door with classical frontispiece; one-story, one-bay vestibules on both sides of entrance portico; projecting window walls on side elevations. Begun in 1922 and completed in 1929, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, is the only Christian Science church in La Crosse and the only church constructed in the Neo-Classical style in the city. The congregation was established in 1886. The church was finished through a gift from the will of Mary Baker Eddy in 1943. The first church was at the corner of Cass and 8th Streets. 1996- "Constructed of brick and resting on a concrete foundation, the First Church of Christ Scientist was begun in 1922 and took seven years to complete. Sheltering a classical double-door entry is the structure's most dominant feature--a colossal entrance portico. It is composed of a plain entablature with open deck above, and is supported by Ionic columns resting on a raised podium. Shed roof aisle wings extend from each side, and one story vestibules are set within the space created from the setback. The central roof is gabled and pedimented, while the vestibules each have a flat roof. A set of five large windows, separated by piers, is located at the main level along the north and south walls with raised, basement-level windows lying directly beneath each set. This house of worship displays fine Neo-Classical characteristics." |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Building plaque. B. La Crosse Tribune, 12 September 1943. C. La Crosse City Directories. D. "First Church of Christ, Scientist, Dedicates West Avenue, King Building at Services Today," LaCrosse Tribune, 2 May 1943. E. La Crosse Tribune, 12 March 1922. F. La Crosse Tribune, 10 December 1922. G. A. Sanford and H. Hirshheimer, A HISTORY OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN, 1841-1900. (La Crosse: La Crosse County Historical Society, 1951), p.232. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |