The Fond du Lac Soroptimist's latest ornament pays homage to the old post office
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly identify Compassionate Care Credit Union (formerly St. Agnes Credit Union).
FOND DU LAC – It all started in 1990, when the local Soroptimist club issued its first landmark ornament featuring the Lighthouse in Lakeside Park. This year the Fond du Lac Soroptimist group introduced its 33rd ornament in the series, remembering the old post office on West First Street, currently home to ADVOCAP, Inc.
That first ornament started a tradition — a series of limited-edition collectible ornaments that celebrate the history of Fond du Lac with a different landmark each year. The money raised through this fundraiser goes toward programming and financial awards to help women and girls improve their lives through education and advocacy.
The ornaments are $10 each and are available for purchase at the Fond du lac City-County Building, Associated Bank, Fox Valley Savings Bank, Hometown Bank, Marine Credit Union and Compassionate Care Credit Union (formerly St. Agnes Credit Union).
They are also available through any Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac club member.
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This post office is one of three in Fond du Lac’s history. The original Fond du Lac Post Office, built in 1905 on the corner of First and Macy streets, was replaced by this building. This post office served the Fond du Lac community for almost 32 years, from March 1937 to January 1969, when the current post office on West Second Street opened its doors.
The old post office building is unique in that it is the only example of Stripped Classicism in the city. Stripped Classicism is a 20th-century architectural style stripped of most or all ornamentation, frequently employed in the design of federal buildings. The building is composed primarily of Indiana limestone with colored brick along the back. The iron grill lining its outside steps and entrance platform provides a decorative effect, and an ornamental eagle perches above the brass double doors.
With an original budget of $270,000, multiple locations were considered, including two on Macy Street between First and Court streets, one on Western Avenue, one on the corner of Portland and First streets, and two on Forest Avenue. With the United States mired in the Great Depression, however, all federal appropriations were reduced by a predetermined percentage. The project was first pared back to $243,000; eventually, only $190,000 was allotted solely for building construction, requiring it to be built on the site of the 1905 post office.
Local officials were disappointed, as they had imagined other purposes for the 1905 building, including using it as the police station. Mayor Albert J. Rosenthal considered going to Washington, D.C., in person to make the case for building on a new site, in addition to advocating for consideration of a plan to have the building site moved across the street at an additional cost of $25,000.
Ultimately, the 1905 post office was razed, and construction of the new post office proceeded in its place. On March 3, 1937, a crowd gathered to watch as Rosenthal held a ribbon cutting ceremony and opened the doors to the public. Fond du Lac community residents were also invited to a celebratory luncheon at the Retlaw Hotel.
Passing this building, those who look upward are rewarded with an interesting view. The building is known to aficionados of post office art for "Birds and Animals of the Northwest," eleven limestone carvings along the building’s facade. Boris Gilbertson, a Chicago sculptor, received a $3,300 commission from the Section of Painting and Sculpture, on the strength of designs he submitted to the National Sculpture Competition for the Bronx Post Office. His designs, which included a bear, a deer and a rabbit, were used on the building here in Fond du Lac with the minimal change of substituting a grouse in place of a cedar waxwing.
The Landmark Christmas Ornament Fundraiser is one of the largest fundraisers for the Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac. The club, consisting of around 35 members, was chartered in 1952 and supports local, regional and international efforts to support and empower women and girls, which leads to stronger communities. The umbrella group, Soroptimist International, formed in 1921 in Oakland, California, and has since expanded to include thousands of clubs on six continents, making positive change worldwide.
Local programs include the annual "Dream It, Be It" career conference for girls in eighth grade, Women’s History events at the Fond du Lac Public Library and the Foundation Feminarum, a donor-advised component of Fond du Lac Area Foundation. Annually, an award is granted to an individual, group or project within Fond du Lac County that benefits the lives of women in Fond du Lac County. In addition, direct financial support for education, totaling thousands of dollars each year, is given to area women and girls through the Live Your Dream, Virginia Wagner, and DreamCasters awards.
To learn more about these awards and the Soroptimists, visit the club's website at fdlsoroptimists.wixsite.com/bestforwomen or visit it's Facebook page: Soroptimist International-Fond du Lac.
Julie Budde is a member of Soroptimist International FDL. Linda Uselmann and Marjorie Brashier, also members of Soroptimist International FDL, contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac Soroptimist club unveils 2022's landmark holiday ornament
