Milwaukee, WI Immanuel Presbyterian Church Fire, Dec 1887

A CHURCH DESTROYED BY FIRE.

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 31.---Immanuel Presbyterian Church, one of the finest edifices in this city, was destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning. Nothing but the bare stone walls are left. Loss, $100,000; insurance, $85,000. The building was erected in 1873 at a cost of $200,000. The organ was valued at $13,000. A fierce blizzard was raging at the time, and it was with the greatest difficulty that the fire engines reached the scene. The Arion Club and Cecelian Choir rendered Handel's oratorio, "The Messiah," before a large audience at the church last evening, and it is believed that the fire was caused by overtaxing one of the furnaces, of which there were four, in order to heat the great building. A policeman discovered the flames bursting from one of the windows shortly after 3:30 and gave the alarm promptly, but the fire had evidently been burning for hours before it was discovered, and the building was soon a mass of flames from the basement to the battlements of the tall stone tower. The entire city was brilliantly illuminated, the northern portion being enveloped in a shower of sparks and firebrands. The building was constructed of gray rock-faced stone. Its form was quadrilateral, with transept and tower on either side, and entrance between the towers. The roofs were abrupt and covered with slate. The largest tower rose 147 feet. Besides the magnificent organ, the church contained a number of costly stained-glass windows and a massive and elaborately-carved pulpit.

The New York Times, New York, NY 1 Jan 1888
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!