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Photo, Print, Drawing Calvary Cemetery Chapel, 5503 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI

[ Photos from Survey HABS WI-350  ]

More Resources

[ Drawings from Survey HABS WI-350  ]
[ Data Pages from Survey HABS WI-350  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS WI-350  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Calvary Cemetery Chapel, 5503 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • Roman Catholic Church
  • Schinner, A F
  • Brielmaier, Erhard
  • Trego, Michael
  • Miller, Jennifer Frey
  • Rhyn, Doug, faculty sponsor
  • Hubbard, Nancy, faculty sponsor
  • University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Department of Architecture, sponsor

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  sepulchral chapels
  • -  Wisconsin -- Milwaukee County -- Milwaukee

Notes

  • -  1995 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Entry
  • -  Significance: The Calvary Cemetery Chapel is one of three buildings located in the oldest extant Roman Catholic cemetery in Milwaukee. The chapel, built in 1899 to replace a large wooden cross, is situated on a knoll which is considered to be the focal point of the cemetery. The chapel was dedicated by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Father A.F. Schinner, on All Souls Day in 1902. Burials in the crypt of the chapel and on the hill were reserved for members of the clergy. In January of 1903, Fr. Aegidius Tarasiewicz was the first and only to be interred in the crypt. Services on Memorial Day and All Souls Day were held in the chapel until approximately 1950, when, for convenience, services began being held at the base of the hill. Currently, the chapel is no longer used and has been sealed shut. The designer of the chapel, Erhard Bridlmaier (1841-1917), was a Milwaukee architect noted for his extensive designs of Catholic churches. Brielmaier is said to have designed in excess of 800 Catholic churches throughout Wisconsin, the United States and Canada. The chapel is a brick cruciform structure with the entry at the west and the north, east, and south elevations being circular apses. The chapel is constructed of of cream city brick (also known as Milwaukee brick) and sits atop a limestone base separated by a limestone water table. The chapel is historically significant because of its surroundings as well as its designer. In 1981, Calvary Cemetery was declared a Milwaukee Landmark and in 1987, it became a historic district. Due to its local historic importance, an organization, "The Friends of Calvary Cemetery" has formed to oversee the repair and restoration of the seriously decayed building. Efforts are being made to restore the chapel and resume services.
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N195
  • -  Survey number: HABS WI-350
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1899 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1950

Medium

  • Photo(s): 2
  • Measured Drawing(s): 9
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 1

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS WIS,40-MILWA,47-

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • wi0377

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS WIS,40-MILWA,47-
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

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  • Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
    • If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
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    • Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
    • If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
  • Data Pages
    • Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

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  • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
  • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
  • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
  • You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
    • Make note of the Call Number listed above.
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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Roman Catholic Church, A F Schinner, Erhard Brielmaier, Michael Trego, Jennifer Frey Miller, Doug Rhyn, Nancy Hubbard, and Department Of Architecture University Of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Calvary Cemetery Chapel,West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Milwaukee Milwaukee County Wisconsin, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/wi0377/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Roman Catholic Church, Schinner, A. F., Brielmaier, E., Trego, M., Miller, J. F. [...] University Of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, D. O. A. (1933) Calvary Cemetery Chapel,West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Milwaukee Milwaukee County Wisconsin, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/wi0377/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al. Calvary Cemetery Chapel,West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/wi0377/>.