St. Matthias Episcopal Church (Waukesha, Wisconsin)

St. Matthias Episcopal Church is a Gothic Revival-styled limestone-clad church built from 1851 to 1855 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It was built by St. Matthias parish of the Episcopal Church, now in the Diocese of Milwaukee,[2] and is the oldest church building in Waukesha that survives basically intact.[3]

For other places of the same name, see St. Matthias Episcopal Church.
St. Matthias Episcopal Church
In 2012
Location111 E. Main St., Waukesha, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°0′46″N 88°13′36″W
Area3.4 acres (1.4 ha)
Built1851
ArchitectEales & Dresden
Architectural styleGothic Revival
MPSWaukesha MRA
NRHP reference No.83004356[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 28, 1983

The Waukesha congregation began in 1839 or 1840 when Rev. Lemuel B. Hull of St. Paul's in Milwaukee walked out into the wilds to conduct the first Episcopal services there. In 1843 those early Episcopalians built a little chapel on Barstow Street. In 1844 the parish was formally organized with the Rev. James Lloyd Breck as the first rector. Breck was invited to choose the patron saint of the church. In 1848 Rev. James Abercrombie became rector.[4]

In 1851 the parish began constructing the large limestone-clad building that still stands today. The cornerstone was laid that year with initial pledges of $1,000, but that proved insufficient, and Rev. Abercrombie had to go back east for $4,000 more for the building. The building's style is Gothic Revival, with its emphasis on the vertical clear in the spire and the pointed arches topping the windows and doorways. The walls are of local limestone, dressed, and randomly coursed. The main entrance is through the corner tower. The tower is square, with the lower parts flanked by diagonal buttresses, and the top capped with a spire that rises to a cross.[4]

A side-chapel was added to the building in 1887, built by Eales and Dresden.[4]

On October 28, 1983, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places as an exemplar of Gothic Revival style in Waukesha and for its fine stonework.[5]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Welcome". St. Matthias Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  3. "St. Matthias Episcopal Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  4. HNTB (1982-02-10). "Intensive Survey Form: St. Matthias Episcopal". State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Retrieved 2019-10-13. With five photos.
  5. "St. Matthias Episcopal Church". Landmark Hunter.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.


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