Property Record
1700 N HUMBOLDT AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Hedwig Roman Catholic Church |
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| Other Name: | ST. HEDWIG'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 10726 |
| Location (Address): | 1700 N HUMBOLDT AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1886 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1986 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | H.A. MESSMER |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | East Brady Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/9/1990 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 2/1/1990 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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. Rear addition added in 1950. Sensitive interior renovation. According to the National Register Nomination form, this building is located at 1704 North Humboldt Avenue. "Towering over the Brady Street neighborhood, St. Hedwig's fine, Polish Baroque style steeple was the architectural focal point for the city's East Side Polish community for many years. To better understand the ethnic origins of the design, look closely at the composition of the square, central tower that rises to a copper-clad domical roof, which, in turn is topped with a thin, faceted spire. Variations of the dome and spire-topped towers were common in Poland and St. Hedwig's is a good manifestation of this building tradition. The louvres beneath the clack faces conceal three large bronze bells of exceptional tonal quality. Before the bells were installed in 1887, they were blessed, in keeping with a Polish custom, and name Maria, Klemens and Jadwiga. Overall, the design of the church is a tasteful combination of both Polish and American architectural styles of the late-nineteenth century. The interior retains much of its original character including an ornamental plaster ceiling that is flat in the center and deeply coved or rounded into the side walls. This is a feature that is common among many Polish-American churches of nineteenth century vintage. The modern-style altars are 1950s replacements for the originals. St. Hedwig's was Milwaukee's second Polish ethnic parish. It was founded in 1871 by a group of about 40 east side Polish families who reportedly came from the Baltic sea coast of Northern Poland where fishing ans shipping were the primary occupations. the city's south side Poles, by comparison, tended to come from the inland, farming regions of Poland." MILWAUKEE ETHNIC CHURCH TOUR, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. |
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| Bibliographic References: | INSCRIPTION. MILWAUKEE ETHNIC CHURCH TOUR, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. NR Nomination Milwaukee Sentinel 11 - 15- 1886 Se MI Houses of Worship survey |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |