The First Methodist Church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a historic church at 502 N. Main Street. It was built as the Wagner Opera House. The main structure was built in Italianate style 1874-75 but it was renovated extensively to its current Neoclassical appearance in 1924–25.[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[1]
First Methodist Church | |
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Location | 502 N. Main St., Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
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Coordinates | 44°01′12″N 88°32′13″W / 44.02°N 88.536944°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1874-75, 1924-25 |
Architect | William Walters (original) Auler & Jensen (1924 renovation) |
Architectural style | Classical Revival, Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 95000247[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 17, 1995 |
It is a brick building. It is unusual in Wisconsin as an urban church building with storefronts at street-level. The building was begun as an opera house, until damaged by a fire in 1874. At that point the Methodist congregation bought it and completed it as a Neo-Classical-styled church. After they moved to a new building in 1970, it was used by Boys' Club and as a homeless shelter.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Miller, Elizabeth L. (September 30, 1993). "First Methodist Church". NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form. US Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service. Retrieved April 21, 2015. With 10 photos.
- ^ Publius Virgilius Lawson (1908), History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People, C.F. Cooper and Company, pp. 559–