Past to Present

​In 1932, a newly ordained pastor, fresh from his vicarage internship at Sherman Park Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, started a mission church on what was then the far northwest side of the city. The eight charter members met, at first, in a store front on Fond du Lac Avenue. But it was not long after that the congregation acquired property on Capitol Drive, Wisconsin Highway 190, and built its first church.

​The original Capitol Drive Lutheran Church building was located on the southwest corner of 52nd Street and Capitol Drive. It seated 180 worshipers with no room to spare. Multiple worship services answered only part of the problem in the burgeoning post World War II era. Membership soared. The Rev. John H. Baumgaertner, the congregation’s first pastor, realized the future and held a vision of a larger congregation–one which needed space for worship and activities.

​The congregation at this time was part of the English District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod having been under the influence of its mother church, Sherman Park Lutheran Church, and its Pastor, the Rev. Benjamin Maurer. Rev. Baumgaertner served for many years as the president of this English District.

​In 1949, the cornerstone was laid for the first phase of construction of a large new building. The new location was only one block west of the original church. The congregation worshiped in the lower level of this building for seven years. The architecture of the church was, at first, created in an American Gothic style, which proved far too costly for the congregation to build. With urging from architects Armstrong, Furst and Tilton of Yale University, the plan was altered to present a modern high-rise structure. Dedication ceremonies of this “Landmark” church were held in October, 1956.

​In 1967 the congregation built and dedicated a Parish Center on the site of the original church. With class rooms and church offices, it serves the congregation for many functions.

​In the early 1970’s and following the retirement of its pastor, the congregation was led by Rev. William Hughes, Rev. Edwin Winters, and then by Rev. William Kohn. Pastor Kohn’s interest in and connections with the Lutheran Church at large, and with his desire for a unified church, caused him to explore directions for the future. Capitol Drive Lutheran Church became the seat of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches. As a result, in the last decade of the 1900’s, Capitol Drive is now firmly committed to its membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is a strong partner in the Greater Milwaukee Synod of that church.

​The nave originally had a seating capacity in excess of 600, but is made comfortable for all groups with moveable seating. The chancel area has space which permits activities and arrangements of larger proportions. Stained glass covers all windows and the main entrance. This work was commissioned to Peter Dohmen Studios, Minneapolis. The interior is acoustically optimized for the church’s 41 rank, three manual Reuter pipe organ.

​Under the guidance of Rev. Lowell Timm, the congregation from 1984 to 2012 embarked on two major projects. One was the establishment of TenderCare, a Christian child care center, to more effectively use the space in the Parish Center and serve a critical neighborhood family need. The other was the re-creation of the interior of the church, more reflective of contemporary worship practice, and to develop a flexible space for a smaller, more intimate congregation. Both projects proved vital to the congregation.

​The congregation called Rev. Alexis Twito to succeed Pastor Timm in September 2012. She led the congregation to be more deeply invested in it's North Side Milwaukee neighborhood, until she completed her service with us in 2016. Rev. Zipp Zimmermann served as Interim Pastor until Rev. Jay Thorson led CDLC from March 2017 until September 2, 2018.

Capitol Drive Lutheran Church continues to serve the needs of individuals and its community as expressed in its Mission Statement. While it is both a neighborhood and a cosmopolitan church, it remains intensely diverse and personal in its approach to service.