7622 West Greenfield Avenue
Historic Name: | Koelsch Funeral Home |
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Reference Number: | 10000822 |
Location (Address): | 7622 West Greenfield Avenue |
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County: | Milwaukee |
City/Village: | West Allis |
Township: |
Koelsch Funeral Home 7622 W. Greenfield Avenue, West Allis, Milwaukee County Date of Construction: 1937 Architect: Raymond W. Dwyer The Joseph Koelsch family moved to West Allis in 1902, the same year that the village was incorporated. Joseph and his son Frank were among the early merchants to establish a business along W. Greenfield Avenue, the village’s primary commercial district. Founded in 1903, the Koelsch concern was originally a combination of shoe sales and picture frame making; however they added the undertaking trade following Frank’s completion of a six-week course at Chicago’s Morris School of Embalming. The Koelsch family continued to operate its funeral business out of the storefront at 71st Street & W. Greenfield Avenue until 1937, at which time they moved into their new quarters at 7622 W. Greenfield Avenue. Milwaukee architect Raymond W. Dwyer designed the new English-inspired, Tudor Revival-style funeral home and it officially opened to the public in September 1937. Faced with local Lannon stone (limestone), the structure features steeply pitched gables, cast stone trim and multiple-light, leaded-glass, casement windows—all common characteristics of the style. While the interior included all of requisite rooms for its efficient function, it also featured two “modern” advancements—air conditioning, as well a sound system that could carry music from the organ room throughout the building. The second floor was designed to include residential quarters; however, it was not fully finished until 1967. Although the Koelsch family is no longer associated with the business, the structure, known now as Church & Chapel, continues to function as a funeral home. It is, however, open by appointment only.
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Period of Significance: | 1937 |
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Area of Significance: | Architecture |
Applicable Criteria: | Architecture/Engineering |
Historic Use: | Funerary: Mortuary |
Architectural Style: | Tudor Revival |
Resource Type: | Building |
Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
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Historic Status: | Listed in the State Register |
National Register Listing Date: | 10/12/2010 |
State Register Listing Date: | 02/19/2010 |
Number of Contributing Buildings: | 1 |
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Number of Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |