This historic Waukesha church just earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places

WAUKESHA - In a community ripe with time-honored 19th-century church buildings, historians now see significance in a 20th-century one as well.

The Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison recently announced the addition of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Waukesha to the list of the National Register of Historic Places, citing architectural features of the entire parish complex that represent significant modern elements.

Unlike some of Waukesha's other historic churches, such as St. Matthias Episcopal Church built in the 1850s, St. Mary's place on the national list isn't about a landmark building with a towering steeple from a bygone era. Instead, it's about its architectural significance in a later era involving several distinctly separate buildings.

St. Mary's has a mid-century modern style and notable religious architecture

The complex consists of a 1953 school and convent for the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity who taught the students, a 1960 rectory and convent addition, and the 1964 church.

"The St. Mary’s Catholic Church Complex is a high-style representation of the Mid-Century Modern style for religious architecture," said Kendall Poltzer, communication coordinator for the Wisconsin Historical Society, in a news release.

The state historical society, which administers the National Register program in Wisconsin, focused on certain design features that made the complex worthy to be on the national register, a National Parks Service list of historic places deemed worthy of preservation.

The Historic Places application process began a long time ago

Jennifer Wall, a St. Mary's parishioner who also serves on the city of Waukesha's Landmarks Commission and was involved in the listing effort, said the parish's inclusion goes beyond architecture.

"The National Register of Historic Places listing honors not only the outstanding architecture and intact nature of the church and school complex, but also the stewardship of the parish over the years. It is indeed an honor for St. Mary's," Wall said.

According to Wall, the historical recognition process began about nine years ago, when the city began surveying mid-20th century properties that had crossed the 50-year-old threshold to be eligible for historic honorary recognition. In 2018, the landmarks commission began reviewing the list of local properties.

The commission's intent at that time was to find out which organizations or owners of those properties would be interested in applying for the historical designation, with the help of grant funding secured by local landmarks officials, who then held an informational meeting for those interested in continuing the process.

For various reasons, the other potential properties fell off the list, with only St. Mary's advancing through the application process.

In May, the Wisconsin Historical Society held a public hearing and approved St. Mary's application then submitted the certification to the U.S. Department of the Interior on Sept. 21. That department officially entered the complex in the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 3.

There are a number of historic churches in Waukesha

Churches are historical fixtures in Waukesha.

In addition to St. Matthias, other noteworthy 19-century churches in the city include First Congregational United Church (built in 1867), 100 E. Broadway; St. Joseph Catholic Church (built in 1888), 818 N. East Ave.; and First United Methodist Church (built in 1898), 121 Wisconsin Ave.

But for city officials, the addition of St. Mary's to the list of places on the national register is noteworthy. It was initially identified as a list candidate by by the city's Intensive Survey of Historic Properties, which continued the city's efforts to consider other eras more recent than its pioneer days.

"It added to a previous survey which was completed in the 1980s, and it had a particular focus on Waukesha’s mid-century modern architecture, as well as its industrial development," noted Charlie Griffith, an associate planner for the city of Waukesha who was also involved in the process.

St. Mary's also holds a place as a worship center in the city's modern area.

Waukesha’s first Catholic congregation was St. Joseph’s, which was established in the 1840s and remained as the city’s only Catholic parish until St. Mary’s began in 1949. The campus, which is spread from College Avenue to Newhall Avenue along Hartwell Avenue, expanded over 15 years, culminating with the opening of the current church building.

The designation is strictly honorary. though it does make the property eligible for historic preservation tax credits, Wall said. Also, it does not guarantee that a property owner won't modify it to an extent that could result in a loss of its designation.

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: St. Mary's Waukesha earns spot on National Register of Historic Places