| In 1916 Erhard Brielmaier and Sons were chosen to design the
St. George building. Though the design and construction of St.
George was a modest affair, the building reflects some of the
features which made the various Brielmaier buildings famous. The
German born architect was responsible for a number of Milwaukee's
most outstanding religious structures, including St. Josephat's
Basilica (1901), St. Benedict the Moor (1923), St. Mary's Convent
and St. Joseph's Hospital (1929). The significance of
Brielmaier's contribution to the city was acknowledged in a 1986
UW-M exhibition entitled 'The Architecture of Yesteryear.'
Brielmaier's design for St. George has been acclaimed both
locally and nationally. When the building was nominated for
inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, its
architectural significance was summarized: |
 |
"Although primarily of historical
significance, St. George's Melkite Catholic Church is the
best example of Byzantine Revival inspired architecture
in the city when compared to S.S.Cyril and Methodius
Russian Orthodox Church.... It also exemplifies the
association between ethnicity and architectural design.
Where as Milwaukee's other ethnic groups, regardless of
origin or creed, almost always selected a version of
either the Gothic Revival or of the Classical Revival,
for their church buildings, the Melkites strove to
reflect their Near Eastern origins in the design of their
church." |
|
| Young and Attoe's Places of Worship - Milwaukee
features St. George in the section on ethnic church buildings.
The building's unusual style is included in Richard Perrin's Architecture
of Wisconsin and in Built in Milwaukee by Landscape
Research. It is also listed among the architectural gems of the Heritage
Guidebook by Russel Zimmerman and in the city of Milwaukee's
Ethnic Church Tour. |
| St. George reflects the traditional
values exemplified in Eastern Rite churches. Esthetically
the building reflects Old World design patterns. Built by
the firm of H. Schmitt and Sons, St. George's white
sand-lime bricks are highlighted by the three bulbous
onion domes and the free use of stained glass panels. The
single most impressive glass panel is that of the patron
saint above the choir loft. The building is humble with a stark easily overlooked beauty.
Only the front
facade was designed to face the world, so the sides were left
unadorned. |
 |
|
| The building is a bastion, a fortress of God,
defending the faith in a corrupt world. The walled steps and the
corner columns reinforce the theme. The church plays harsh right angles and flat walls again understated curving brickwork and
wall crown. The curved sheet metal domes allude to that which is
above and beyond the harshness of this earth. Furthermore there
is a visual representation of the 'Death and Resurrection' in the
placement of the descending basement doorway, the rising stepped
entrance, and Golgatha's three crosses. |
 |
By the 1970's Americanization and Latinization had rendered the church
indistinguishable from 'any other Roman Catholic Church'
in Milwaukee. Father Ronald Golini began to restore St.
George's Eastern tradition by removing all of the
distinctively Roman Rite symbols. The worn and aged
statues of St. Joseph and 'The Little Flower' St. Therese
were retired from service. The holy water fonts, altar
rail, and the stations of the cross were taken down. The
original Latin-style back altar was replaced by a
Byzantine Holy Table. Other Roman Rite symbols like the
confessional booth were removed to make room for the
flowering of the Melkite Ritual. |
|
| Father Golini refurbished and refurnished
the entire interior of the church. Many of the new
fixtures were designed and built by Father Golini
himself. He created felt icons to adorn the walls and
crafted the framing for the iconostatis, the icon wall.
Within this framing were placed fourteen paintings by the
New York iconographer Constantine Youssis. Over time
donations supplied the other traditional icons which fill
St. George with the stories of the saints, feasts, and
miracles. Many gracious donors are responsible for the
current beauty of the church interior. The transformation
of St. George Melkite Church was a miracle wrought by
many hands. And the entire congregation will always be
especially grateful to Father Golini and his generous
parishioners.
|
 |
|