Holy Trinity Parish, on South Fourth and West Bruce Street, was built in 1849, making it one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city of Milwaukee. Thanks to a wedding, the doors were open today and I was able to take some pictures of the interior. Fortunately, much of the church’s original beauty has been preserved. The only conspicuous item missing is the altar rail. Maybe it’s collecting dust in the basement, waiting to be reinstalled one day. Here’s an excerpt on the building’s history from Jennifer Watson Schumacher’s Images of America: German Milwaukee:

The church was without a steeple for quite some time. Architect Leonard Schmidtner created the missing piece, which was finally added in 1862 [during the Civil War!]. It was followed by the tower clock in 1869. Its unusual matched pair of cornerstones, which can be seen at the base of the buttress flanking, make it one of a kind.

(Click on the images for a much better view.)

20150801_140629~2

20150801_140838~2

20150801_140826~2

20150801_140859~2

The parish is also called Our Lady of Guadalupe.

20150801_140739~2

20150801_140732~2

20150801_141152~220150801_141104~2