Five years ago, a fire at the historic Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church nearly destroyed the entire building. Reverend M. Douglas Peters joined the church after the fire. He says the restoration progress has been uplifting and encouraging, but funds are running low.
The church has been at its current location, 1046 N. 9th St., since 1878. It was declared a Milwaukee landmark in 1967. In 1979, it became a State Historical Landmark and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the church's website.
It was May 15, 2018, when workers were repairing the church's roof. The fire started shortly after sparks from a tool settled underneath shingles. About an hour after workers left the site, the roof was engulfed in flames.
Peters says the restoration costs will total $25 million with insurance covering about $18 million. The church needs about $5 million to finish the project, which includes the cost of replacing a $2 million organ.
"That fire devastated this congregation," says Peters. "They had been worshipping here for generations. This church is really remarkable."
Peters wasn't the reverend at Trinity at the time of the fire, but he drove to Milwaukee when it happened.
"Any time you see anything burning it's just so sad," he recalls. "Especially something this historic and interestingly enough a year after our fire came the fire at Notre Dame. It's hard to see these things happen, but we also come away with the realization that these things are temporary."
Peters says that in 1947 the church became the first interracial Lutheran worship in Milwaukee and possibly even first in the state and country.
Church goers have been meeting in the building's undercroft, which was converted from a kitchen to a place of worship.
Peters says the church will have a grand reopening about two years after reaching its funding goal. The scaffolding inside the structure will be removed by mid-July.
"A lot of the other dollars we need to raise are for the woodworking, for the stained-glass windows, we have two steeples that need to go back up that have not been constructed yet," he says.
Peters adds that the pews will cost about $350,000 to be replaced.
People can make contributions to the church's fire restoration fund by visiting trinitymilwaukee.org, by mailing 1026 N. 9th St. Milwaukee, WI, 53233 or calling 414-271-2219.
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