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St. Sebastian Parish Church

January 28, 2016 by Paul Burmeister

Yesterday I took students in my design class to St. Sebastian in Milwaukee (Hawley and 54th.) We spent about an hour, outside and inside, trying to absorb its richness as an example of design's functional and expressive potential. The parish church was built in 1930 (renovated in 2000) as the Washington Heights neighborhood was developed around it. The structure quickly became a visual landmark and source of community pride.
My guess is that it is an example of American neo-Romanesque style, being solid and squat on its corner site. My opinion is that it is a good example of the style, being unified in all aspects of its design. My students enjoyed the pleasing, visual intelligence of design decisions, from the articulation of structural elements to the unity-and-variety of ornamental details.

Tags St. Sebastian, American Romanesque
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