Property Record
2626 N SWAN BLVD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | CHRIST KING CATHOLIC CHURCH CONVENT |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 233243 |
| Location (Address): | 2626 N SWAN BLVD |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Wauwatosa |
| Township/Village: | |
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| Year Built: | 1950 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2016 |
| Historic Use: | monastery, convent, religious retreat |
| Architectural Style: | Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Brust & Brust |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Eighteen lots were purchased at the southeast corner of Swan Boulevard and Center Street by the Catholic diocese in 1930 with the intention of developing the area for a new Catholic congregation. In 1936, Christ King congregation was established, though no services were held until 1939, when Mount Mary College was used as the location for a chapel. A Colonial Revival style school, rectory, and boiler house were completed in 1940, and a room in the school was used as a chapel. In 1946, the school was expanded, and a small chapel was constructed at ground level adjacent to Christ King School. A large addition to the school was completed in 1950, and the large Church was completed much later in 1955. The new church was the most expensive one completed in Wauwatosa at its time and was connected to the parish house and school via a series of tunnels. The Christ King’s ground are organized with the school at the north end; the rectory, small chapel, and office spaces in the middle; and the church at the south end of the property along Swan Boulevard. The congregation grew to be the largest in Wauwatosa at the time, serving 1,600 families in 1957. A number of additions, including a large gymnasium for the school, were made to the complex in 1964. In 1995, renovations including interior finishes, marble cleaning, a new roof, and repairs, and in 2006 the parish buildings were altered to make them accessible. |
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| Bibliographic References: | ‘History,’ Christ King Catholic Parish website. <www.christkingparish.org/school/history.cfm> accessed January 10, 2017. Feast of Christ the King: Christ King Parish. 75th Anniversary Booklet. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |