Property Record
1615 N WAUWATOSA AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church |
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| Other Name: | St. Matthew Lutheran Church |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 50791 |
| Location (Address): | 1615 N WAUWATOSA AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Wauwatosa |
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| Year Built: | 1949 |
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| Additions: | 2000 1954 1964 |
| Survey Date: | 19952016 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | The St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran congregation was organized in 1920 as an English-speaking Lutheran congregation in Wauwatosa. The following year a small parish house was constructed at the corner of Wauwatosa Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue that served as the church. William Niebling served as the congregation’s first pastor. The church and congregation grew rapidly, hosting the Wisconsin State Luther League convention in 1925, and adding new pews, flooring, and an organ from 1937 to 1942. In 1949, a new church was constructed to accommodate the large congregation. The new Neogothic Revival church featured T.C. Esser stained glass windows and a large organ. That same year the adjacent Northwestern Conservatory of Music, located at 7525 Milwaukee Avenue, was purchased by the church and converted into a Sunday school. The church continued to grow with a chapel and lounge added in 1954 and a large educational building completed in 1964. The rear parking lot was constructed in 1976 and an extensive remodeling effort was undertaken in 1978. Further building projects, including a new entrance, staircases, elevator, accessibility ramps, a new library, and remodeled offices were completed in 1988. Further extensive remodeling was completed in 2000. The church is now known as St. Matthew Lutheran Church. |
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| Bibliographic References: | WAUWATOSA NEWS TIMES 1/26/1995. Building and Planning Permit Records, on file at the Wauwatosa Planning Department, Wauwatosa. Wauwatosa City Directories, 1926-1992, on file at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison. Wauwatosa Historical Society general files. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |