2959 N TEUTONIA AVE

Historic Name:
Calvary Baptist Church

Other Name:
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Reference Number:
56584

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Property Location

Location (Address)	2959 N TEUTONIA AVE
County	Milwaukee
City/Village	Milwaukee
Township
Unincorporated community
Town
Range
Direction
Section
Quarter Section
Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built	1970
Additions
Survey Date	1994,2016,2023
Historic Use	house of worship
Architectural Style	Neo-Expressionism
Structural System
Wall Material	Brick
Architect	W.p. Wenzler And Associates, Inc.
Other Buildings On Site
Demolished	No
Demolished Date
Additional Comments	"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 State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. 2023- resurveyed as part of Milwaukee Houses of Worship thematic survey. This strikingly modern church maintains a tradition of designing buildings to reflect its occupants’ ethnicity. Architect William Wenzler drew on the building traditions of Cameroon in west-central Africa for this well established African American congregation, hence the low, irregular shape with tent-like roofs and the uneven wall heights. The church’s two buildings huddle together, evoking a small village or a traditional clan compound. The gently spread roof forms low peaks, sheltering the walls with gracefully sweeping eaves. Solid brick walls emulate the lashed bamboo found in Cameroon, and shingles stand in for the thick-woven grass roof. Inside, though, Wenzler’s plank-and-beam ceiling recalls the bracing long used in Cameroon. Rev. Roy B. Nabors was a Pastor at Calvary and a member of the Milwaukee NAACP. He was responsible for the high church enrollment and was very active in the community. Tribute dinners were held in his honor, with many respectable African-American guests, such as Kenneth Bowen, Clarence R. Parrish, and Thomas Malone (circa 1974). 2016- ""This one-story, brick-faced, Modern church facility is comprised of two main blocks, which were designed to emulate traditional huts found in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the blocks is topped with a tent-like roof that overhangs the building proper, which features uneven wall heights. Heavy timber supports extend beyond the overhanging roofline. Aside from the main doorway, which is located along the north block, the building features limited fenestration along its entrance (east) elevation. A sweeping upward projection that acts as a dormer rises above the north block. Present-day Calvary Baptist Church has its roots as a mission, founded in 1895 and which was originally named Mount Olive Baptist Church. It is identified as the oldest African-American Baptist Church in Milwaukee. The congregation’s original home, which was built in 1897, was located on N. 7th Street. Although their mortgage was foreclosed on, they continued to rent the building through 1903, when they moved one block away to N. 6th Street. In 1906 the congregation officially affiliated itself with the Wisconsin Baptist Convention and, seven years later, changed their name to Calvary Baptist Church. Thereafter, they were located at 418 Cherry Street and then at 1727 N. 4th Street, where they remained until their current edifice was completed. Following the purchase of the N. Teutonia Avenue site in 1966, the congregation employed the Milwaukee architectural firm of W.P. Wenzler & Associates to design a church that was reflective of the congregation’s roots. The church, which cost an estimated $392,000, was erected by the Herbert Jaeger & Assoc. Inc., contractors. Dedication of the church was held on 14 March 1971. Since that time, the congregation, which is significantly community-minded, has built a 72-unit housing project for senior citizens behind the church and along W. Chambers Street. Although the status of the project is unknown at this time, the congregation has also recently engaged Community Design Solutions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to provide a design for a community center and wellness clinic; the building of which was proposed for construction directly across the street from the church."" -""N Teutonia Ave: W Groeling Ave to W Capitol Dr"", WisDOT#2080-00-02, Prepared by Heritage Research, Inc. (Schnell), (2017)."
Bibliographic References	9/3/1969 PERMIT. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. Milwaukee Star Newspaper, 12/12/1974, pg. 1, 5 2016 survey citations: Inventory sheet for 2959 N. Teutonia Avenue, Calvary Baptist Church, “Milwaukee Houses of Worship: 1975 Survey,” Final Report prepared by Mary Ellen Young and Wayne Attoe (1977), Copy of sheet on file in the site file for the subject address, Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. Original permit for 2959 N. Teutonia Avenue, 3 September 1969, est. cost, $392,000; Gurda, Milwaukee: A City of Neighborhoods, 238; Proposed plan for the Calvary Baptist Church Community Center available online at http://uwm.edu/community-design-solutions/calvary-community-center, Accessed April 2017.

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name	Calvary Baptist Church
National Register Listing Date	Jul 10, 2026
State Register Listing Date	Feb 27, 2026
Contributing

house of worship Neo-Expressionism

Milwaukee
County

Milwaukee
Community

1970-1979
Decade

National and State Register Listing

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