This month’s ‘Spot a Clock’ is St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, located at 2605 South Kinnickinnic Avenue in Milwaukee.
The German Evangelical Lutheran St. Lucas Congregation was founded in 1872. The congregation’s first church was a modest 26 feet by 52 feet, located on donated land at the corner of Russel and Kinnickinnic. The current site of the church was purchased in 1877 and a new church was constructed in 1888 at a cost of $16,000.
Several improvements were added to the church during its first 20 years. Three bronze bells and the tower clock were added in 1901. Fredrick M. Shelley’s directory of early American tower clocks indicates the clock movement in this church was a No. 3 Mathias Schwalbach movement.
The church has the distinction of being struck by lightning three time (1904, 1906, and 1913) in ten years. A lightening rod system was finally installed in 1913.
A Wagerin electro-pneumatic pipe organ was installed in 1930. The organ was equipped with 1,600 pipes.
Extensive renovations to the church were made as part of the congregation’s centennial year in 1972. The renovations included the tower clock, which was electrified. As part of the building’s centennial year, it was designated a historical landmark.
