Property Record
401 S OWEN DR (AKA 418 HOLLY AVE)
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Our Lady Queen of Peace Roman Catholic School |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 222663 |
| Location (Address): | 401 S OWEN DR (AKA 418 HOLLY AVE) |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
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| Year Built: | 1949 |
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| Additions: | 1951 1957 1997 |
| Survey Date: | 2012 |
| Historic Use: | elementary, middle, jr.high, or high |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | WEILER & STRANG (1949) |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| 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. THE FIRST PORTION OF THIS BUILDING WAS BUILT IN 1949 TO A DESIGN SUPPLIED BY WEILER & STRANG, ARCHITECTS. TWO ROOM ADDITIONS WERE ADDED IN 1951 AND AGAIN IN 1957, AND A THIRD ADDITION WAS ADDED IN 1997. "Beginning in 1945, west-side Catholics worked on started a new parish and constructing a multipurpose building in WEstmorland, which would include an elementary school. The Arch-Diocese of Milwaukee purchased the five and one half acres of what was formerly part of the Westmorland Golf Course for this purpose in 1944. Groundbreaking was held on July 18, 1948, and Our Lady Queen of Peace Elementary opened its doors to students on September 12, 1949. At its opening, the school enrolled 234 students in grades 1-8 (around 45-50 students per classroom). The original building--erected by Fritz Construction Company and designed by the local architectural firm of Weiler and Strang--housed five classrooms on the first floor (with two grades combined in each room), living quarters for the Sinsinewa Dominicans Order of Sisters that agreed to staff the school, and a multipurpose room in the basement. The school population increased rapidly during the early 1950s, necessitating construction of a two-room addition and conversions of the Sisters' living quarters of the second floor into classrooms--both of which occurred in 1951 (the living quarters were moved to a house the Parish purchased at the corner of Westmorland Blvd. and Euclid Avenue). Other additions followed in the 1950s and early 1960s; enrollment peaked at 780 in 1961/62. Despite a dip in enrollment to a low of 354 in 1973, Queen of Peace Elementary has remained a strong presence in the Westmorland neighborhood (and Madison's west side more broadly). A major $5.2 million parish building program in 1995 added classrooms, science lab, computer lab, expanded library space, meeting rooms, new school offices, and full size gymnasium. The school now houses nearly 500 students in grades K-8 (including a 4K program) taught by a faculty of fifty." Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
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| Bibliographic References: | WESTMORLAND: A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. MADISON: WESTMORLAND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOC., 2011, PP. 50, 75-76, 110-111. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL: JULY 4, 1948, SEC. 1, P. 2 (ILLUSTRATED); SEPTEMBER 20, 1949, P. 3 (ILLUSTRATED). Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |