Building the Church building In Less Than Three Months
After Bay Shore Lutheran Church was incorporated and the church council was organized on September 11, 1929, a church building needed to be constructed. The council became the building committee and the target date date for the first service in the new building was Thanksgiving,1929. In the meantime, services would be held at the Henry Clay School.
At the next church council meeting on October 8,1929 the following was completed:
– A $4000 mortgage was obtained on the four vacant lots on Wildwood & Humboldt to finance the construction of the new church
– Because the lots were unimproved land and not buildable, a month to month lease was signed with Alfred Locke for a lot on the Southeast corner of Hampton & Humboldt (Marlborough). This would be a temporary location for the church building until the lots were improved and the church building could be moved there.
-A contract was signed with the Lupinski & Wolfe Construction Company for the construction of the church building for $3400.
– Pastor Baughman applied for tax exemption status for the four lots.
Construction was about to begin!
On October 20, 1929, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported that the foundation for Bay Shore Lutheran Church was laid and construction on the structure had begun.
Lupinski & Wolfe were only contracted to build the structure. The council minutes show that most of their time was spent getting bids and buying all that was needed to build a church for a new congregation. This included everything from heating and electrical to hymnals. Roy Papenthein and Edward Hardtke oversaw the construction of the building while the entire council oversaw the needs of church.
The Great Depression hit the country in late October, 1929 but had little or no effect on the construction of Bay Shore. The mortgage on the lots and almost all of the contractors were secured by late September or early October. However the Depression would have a significant impact on the church financially starting in 1930.
On October 27, 1929 the church council hired Edna Shellen as the church organist for $15/month and an unnamed janitor for $10/month. On November 3,1929 the Sunday School was organized and met in the basement of Cumberland School. By the end of 1929 there were 65 children enrolled.
Bay Shore Lutheran Church’s first home was completed in late November 1929 and a dedication ceremony was held on December 1,1929. Anyone who was a member of the of the church before the dedication ceremony was considered a charter member.
The only image we have of the first Church is the architect’s drawing of what the building would look like. Architect and founding member Roy Papenthein designed the exterior in the English cottage style. This style and English Tudor style were popular in Whitefish Bay at the time and Roy wanted the new church to match the neighborhood homes
The building was built on a cement slab and designed to be moved in the future. It had a sanctuary that seated 100 people, pastor’s office, bathroom, furnace room, and storage closet. There were three entrances and sat on one city lot. Sunday school and social functions were held at Cumberland School. Council meetings were initially held in the sanctuary and often lasted past 11:00 pm.
Interesting facts:
The first Church was built with no financial help from the synod or contributions from other churches.
Our Last Article from Terry in this Special Series:
The Men and Women Who laid the Foundation Bay Shore Lutheran Church.
When you think about it, it’s pretty remarkable that six men would meet with Field missionary Baughman on August 16, 1929 to show interest in starting a new church in Whitefish Bay. By December 1, 1929 they had established a congregation, built and dedicated a new church with sixty ninety charter members.
While many of our early members helped build Bay Shore Lutheran Church, there are a number of them that stand out by their dedication plus the use of their time, talents and monetary donations.
Leroy and Thea Labudde
Leroy and Thea Labudde (pronounced “Labuddy”) were members of Redeemer Lutheran Church when Leroy hosted the first meeting of men interested in starting a mission church in the Shorewood -Whitefish Bay district. When naming the church was the first order of business at the organization meeting LeRoy made the motion to name the church BAY SHORE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH. He was in charge of publicity during the construction of the first church. This resulted in almost weekly articles in the Milwaukee newspapers during the construction of the church.
Thea was involved in with the startup of the Sunday School and was a founding member of the of the Women’s Missionary Society at Bay Shore. Leroy and Thea donated the alter for the first church. Leroy created the first newsletter, “ Bay Shore News” in 1931. He paid for all the expenses of the newsletter
In 1941 Leroy became co chair on the building committee for our present church. He created a fund raising campaign designed to created enthusiasm for the new church through creative mailings and announcements. Unfortunately the kickoff was December 7,1941and fundraising was put on hold until after the war ended.
Leroy L. Labudde died in a car accident in 1944. He was 45 years old. Thea remained a member of Bay Shore. In 1979 she was honored as one of two surviving founding members at the 50th anniversary celebration. Thea died in 1989.
In 1950 the Labudde family donated the pulpit and alter vestments for the present church. Leroy’s name can be found on a memorial plaque on the Pulpit.
Alfred and Norma Locke
Alfred and Norma Locke were very active members of Epiphany (All People’s) Lutheran Church when they helped establish Bay Shore. Alfred was a real estate developer in Whitefish Bay. In 1929 he was developing the Cumberland Lawns subdivision. His gift to the new church was three undeveloped lots with an option to buy a fourth lot at present day Wildwood & Marlborough avenues. The church council was able to mortgage the lots to build the first church. Because the lots were undeveloped Alfred lease a developed lot at Hampton & Marlborough for the temporary location of the church until the lots were developed.
Alfred Lock was the first lay leader of the Bay Shore church council overseeing the building of the church and the first years of the church. After his service on the council he became superintendent of the Sunday School.
Norma Locke founded the Sunday School and the Women’s Missionary Society at Bay Shore. She was also the secretary of annuities for the Wisconsin conference of the Northwest Synod. Norma Locke died in 1933. She was 40 years old.
Alfred Locke remarried in 1935 and moved to Wauwatosa. In 1936 he sold the lot that was leased to the church which resulted in the church being moved to a permanent location. There is no mention of Alfred Locke in the council minutes afterwards.
Alfred Locke died in1942 and was still listed as a member of Bay Shore Lutheran Church.
Roy Papenthein
Roy and Hazel Papenthein were members of Lake Park Lutheran Church when Roy attended the August,1929 meeting of men interested in forming a new church in Whitefish Bay. Roy was a well known architect in Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin. At the first meeting Roy brought a drawing of a 100 seat chapel which would become the first Bay Shore Lutheran Church. He would donate his time and architectural services to design and oversee the construction of the church.
In 1933 Roy Papenthein entered the Bay Shore Lutheran Chapel in the first architect design competition at the Layton school of Art and Design. Out of sixty entries the church came in third place capturing a bronze medal. A bronze plaque was hung in the church commemorating the accomplishment.
Roy Papenthein served as on the first church Council and was elected to a second three year term in the 1930’s. I couldn’t find much on Hazel Papenthein other than being a founding member of the of the Women’s Missionary Society.
Roy oversaw the move and expansion of the church in 1936. He was also involved in Bay Shore’s Tenth anniversary celebration in 1939.
Roy Papenthein died of a Heat attack in1950. He was as 58 years old and a member of Bay Shore Lutheran Church. Hazel asked to be removed from membership in 1962.
Marie and Thekla Voechting
Sisters Marie and Thekla Voechting were charter members of Bay Shore and Thea Labudde’s aunts. They joined the church through “Renewal” and without them the church would not have been constructed or survived the Depression. Marie and Thekla provided the $4000 construction loan on the lots so the church could be built. The interest rate was 6%. When the Depression put a financial strain on the new congregation the Voechting sisters lowered the interest rate to 5%and accepted $25/month interest only payments. This enabled Bay Shore to pay off the loan with the Whitefish Bay State Bank.
(Department of corrections- The Voechting sisters are not mentioned by name in the council minutes and only referred to as “loan holder” along with loan payments to the Whitefish Bay State Bank. I found they held the loan,not the bank, when they were named as loan holders in 1935 council minutes)
The altar cross and candle stick holders were donated by the Voechting sisters in 1929. We still use them today. They also contributed to the purchase of the pulpit in memory of Leroy Labudde in 1950.
Marie and Thekla Voechting died in 1960 and 1965 respectively and were active members of Bay Shore at the time of their deaths.
Edna Schellin Reinhold
The church council minutes from October 27,1929 show that Miss Edna Schellin was hired as the First church organist and would be paid $15/month. She was a graduate of Milwaukee- Downer College and the Eastman College of Music. Besides her job at Bay Shore Edna was a music teacher for the Milwaukee Public Schools and played in a piano quartet. She would later Marry Carl Reinhold and have a daughter.
In 1931 Edna Schellin Reinhold would become the first director of the Bay Shore Choir when the Church Council approved the creation of the choir. She would remain the church organist until her death in 1953 at age 47. During her tenure as the church organist Edna played at all three churches on four different organs.
Eduard & Caroline Hardtke
Eduard and Caroline Hardtke are listed as “Renewals” on the church registry of members from 1929. He born in Germany and was the chief engineer at the Seeman Body plant at Capitol Drive & Richards street( later it was known as the American Motors body plant. Today you’ll find Walmart on part of the site). Hardtke is considered one of the first developers of the car frame.
Eduard Hardtke was involved with the formation of Bay Shore Lutheran Church from the very beginning in August 1929. He served on the first church council, signed the incorporation papers and served on the building committee for the first church. After his term on the council had ended Eduard he became the Sunday School treasurer for many years. Caroline was an early member of the of the Women’s Missionary Society.
Eduard Hardtke died in 1942 at the age of 78. At the time of his death he was a member of the building committee for the present church.
Mr & Mrs. Eduard Hardtke aren’t completely forgotten these days. In 1929 they donated the silver communion set we still use with their name engraved on the cover.
