ALLOUEZ (WLUK) – Demolition of The Red Chapel at the Allouez Catholic Cemetery is underway, despite years of efforts to preserve the 147-year-old structure.
Commissioned by Bishop Francis Xavier Krautkramer in 1876, it had been used for a variety of purposes but mostly sat empty in recent years.
The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay issued this statement:
“The demolition follows decades of discussion and multiple extensions in recent years around fundraising to restore and endow the building. The structure has been in disrepair for more than half a century and had become a safety hazard due to flooding, vandalism and general building degradation.
The costs to preserve or restore the structure have continued to increase over the years and attempts to promote a solution were unfruitful.
Structural engineers as well as risk assessment professionals who toured the site recommended in their reports that the building be razed. It was fenced off for years to deter anyone from entering the structure and with recent work being done in the cemetery, the decision was made to take it down.
Any sacred items and furnishings that may have been housed in the building were removed decades ago, and what remained was simply a shell.
The Allouez Cemetery retains multiple sites for proper prayer throughout its campus, including a chapel off the main entrance to the mausoleum.”
The Brown County Historical Society had it listed on its endangered structure “watch” list, and had worked to save the building.
