As we reported in June, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1046 N. 9th St., at Highland, will be rebuilt after the terrible fire it suffered on May 15.
Workers from Triad Construction have begun to install mounts on the exterior of the building, erected in 1878, and workers will begin installing vertical steel I-beams to support the structure on Friday, according to Rev. Jonah P. Burakowski, Executive Assistant to the President for Mission and Human Care of the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church.
"A boom crane and lifts will be used by construction workers while the vertical I-beams are bolted and welded to the standoff mounts recently secured to the exterior of the building."
According to Burakowski, the work will begin on the west side of the church, facing 9th Street, and will continue around the building, where brackets have already been installed.
"The exterior stabilization should be completed by early August, securing the walls and gables so that interior debris removal can begin for the placement of a roof," Burakowski added.
Trinity's congregation continues to hold weekly worship services at nearby Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Stay tuned for more information on the future of this Milwaukee landmark as it becomes available.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
