Property Record
2617 W FOND DU LAC AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Freie Gemeinde Society Clubhouse--Jefferson Hall |
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| Other Name: | Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church |
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| Reference Number: | 31839 |
| Location (Address): | 2617 W FOND DU LAC AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1928 |
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| Additions: | 1940 1939 |
| Survey Date: | 1999 |
| Historic Use: | social recreational/fraternal hall |
| Architectural Style: | Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Carl Ringer, Sr. & Son-1928; Grassold and Johnson-1939,1940 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| 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 building has largely retained all of its interior spacing. A flat, metal canopy shelters the main entrance; above the entrance, the words, "FREIE GEMEINDE" are inscribed. The round arched windows at the upper level are trimmed with limestone heads. A limestone cornice with a triglyph and metope-type pattern extends along the building's edge. The building was constructed for $80,000. In 1927, the Freie Gemeinde Society hired Ringer and Son to design a new meeting hall. It was constructed and being used the following year as a meeting hall. It was named Jefferson Hall, in honor of Thomas Jefferson. In 1939, alterations were made by the Milwaukee architectural firm of Grassold & Johnson to accommodate a $20,000 addition. The Society disbanded in 1977. The building subsequently served as a local entertainment facility and later a religious center. |
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| Bibliographic References: | The original drawings for the structure, by Carl Ringer & Son, are on file at the Wisconsin Architectural Archives, Milwaukee Public (Central) Library. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |