MILWAUKEE-The Soldiers Home Foundation, Inc., took the first official step in its plan to restore the 1889 Home Chapel on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee by hiring a well-known architectural firm specializing in historic structures that promises to “make the chapel smile.”
The Foundation selected The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc., of Cedarburg, Wis., because of the firm’s historic preservation experience, especially with National Register of Historic Places sites such as the Chapel, explains Kristin Gilpatrick, Soldiers Home Foundation president. “What is important, as we move forward on a plan for a building that is so culturally, spiritually, and historically significant, is Kubala Washatko’s community approach to preservation efforts,” she notes, “especially their work to solicit and incorporate the desires of project stakeholder groups-from veterans to VA chaplains and from preservationists to former parishioners-into a restoration plan that is most compatible with the Chapel’s unique history, pristine architecture, and future use.”
The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc. (TKWA) is looking forward to guiding the preservation of the Home Chapel, adds Donna Weiss-Priebe, project manager. “This proposed work is much more than a project to TKWA; it is an extension of our commitment to historic preservation,” Weiss-Priebe stresses. “We are excited for the opportunity to share with the Soldiers Home Foundation in the awesome responsibility of reawakening this nationally significant icon to America’s veterans.”
The Foundation and its newly-hired architectural firm are already gathering Chapel restoration desires. That effort will culminate Saturday, June 3, with special listening sessions during the Foundation-sponsored Reclaiming Our Heritage event, hosted in the National Soldiers Home Historic District by the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. “We expect to have thousands touring the grounds, and the Chapel. Kubala Washatko and Foundation board members will be at the Chapel to gather memories and restoration opinions,” Gilpatrick notes.
The Soldiers Home Foundation plans to complete Chapel restoration by 2008. The Foundation’s plan is to reopen the Chapel for veteran use and funerals as well as VA and visiting chaplain use, historic displays, weddings and other ceremonies, and multi-denominational, patriotic, and educational community events. For details on the Soldiers Home Foundation and its Chapel project, visit http://www.soldiershome.org or call 414.389.4135.
