Property Record
2340 S 61ST ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | St. Rita's Catholic Church |
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| Other Name: | St. Rita's Catholic Church |
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| Reference Number: | 144904 |
| Location (Address): | 2340 S 61ST ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
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| Year Built: | 1964 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2007 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete |
| Architect: | Mark Pfaller |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | This Contemporary-style church is constructed of pre-cast, concrete panel walls and large expanses of stained glass, while the roof is also constructed of concrete. According to a 1989 anniversary booklet produced on the occasion of the new church's 25th anniversary, the roof is composed of four hyperbolic-paraboloids, spanning 120 feet on each side of a square floor plan. The distinctive feature of this form is a thin-shell concrete roof, which soars from a height of sixteen feet over grade to fifty-three feet at the apex of the building. The concrete roof is only three inches thick but weighs in excess of 800 tons. Four exterior buttresses anchor the building at the four corners and are seventeen feet long; the maximum exposed height is eleven feet; the buttresses are sunk nine feet into the ground and weigh 187,000 pounds each. Huge hinges join the roof to the buttresses and allow for movement of the roof structure. Designed by architect Mark Pfaller, construction of the new St. Rita's Catholic Church began in 1962 and dedication services were held on 3 May 1964. St. Rita's congregation began on 6 July 1924, with services held in a rented tent. In October of 1924, the two-story combined church, school and hall building along W. Lincoln Avenue was completed at a cost of $60,000 (exclusive of furnishings). The school opened to 120 students in the fall of 1924 with three School Sisters of St. Francis in charge of instruction. Seven years later, a separate parish hall--designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by Mark Pfaller--was constructed along S. 60th Street. What is believed to have been an existing residence on the premises was remodeled for use as a rectory and has been subsequently added on to over the years. In 1950, a much-needed addition was completed on west end of the original church-school-hall building, which provided for a new basement church, a school addition and a penthouse apartment for the Sisters. Also in 1950, the short tower that faced S. 60th Street was removed. In 1956-57, the new school building was added to the religious campus, at its southwestern corner. The parish complex was completed with the erection of the Contemporary-style church building, located between the primary school and the rectory, along S. 61st Street. St. Rita's School officially closed in 2004 and is now leased to the new Mary Queen of Saints Catholic Academy, a consolidated school for the West Allis/West Milwaukee area. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Original permit dated 11 April 1962. 25th Anniversary of St. Rita's New Church (1989), Booklet prepared by the congregation, Located at the West Allis Historical Society. Dedication Booklet for new St. Rita's Church, 3 May 1964, On file at the West Allis Historical Society. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |