Calvary Presbyterian Church

Calvary Presbyterian Church is a Victorian Gothic church located in the Marquette University district of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986.The first Presbyterian congregation in Milwaukee was started by Reverend Cutting Marsh in 1837, and eventually became First Presbyterian. In 1849 North Presbyterian split off. In 1869, the Presbyterians on the west side wanted their own church, and some left each of the previous congregations to form Calvary. Calvary's first officers were John Plankinton, James B. Bradford, and Samuel C. West - all wealthy businessmen.They built their grand church in 1870, designed by Milwaukee architects Henry C. Koch and Julius Hess in Gothic Revival style. It sits on a foundation of ashlar limestone. The body of the structure is cream city brick, a light-colored brick kilned from local clay, with accents of Ohio sandstone. The exterior has since been painted a bright red color. The ridge of the nave is 85 feet high. One one side is a 105-foot tower with a spire clad in pressed metal. On the other side is a huge 202-foot tower with a slate-clad spire. Both towers are buttressed and topped with crosses. The main entrance stands between the towers, beneath a rose window within a larger window.