Milwaukee’s Biggest Upcycle: St. Josaphat’s Basilica

​     Upcycling is nothing new!  Did you know that an upcycling project of enormous scale and historical significance is part of Milwaukee’s skyline?  St. Josaphat’s Basilica was built from reused and repurposed materials!

        When St. Josaphat’s Parish began to draw up plans for constructing the Basilica in the 1890s, Fr. Grutza caught wind that the bricks and fixtures of the Chicago Post Office and Custom House were for sale.  The post office was being demolished because it was sinking into the ground.  Not one to turn down a good deal, the priest bought the building materials and transported them to Milwaukee in train cars.

        Click through the gallery below to see some pictures I took of this majestic building.
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     St. Josaphat’s has a little sister, the chapel in Calvary Catholic Cemetery.  Both buildings were designed by the same architect, Erhard Brielmaier.  It’s on top of a hill which is one of Milwaukee’s highest points.  I visited it last year during Doors Open Milwaukee last year, which was the first time the building was open to the public in over 50 years.  Below are some photos.