"Doco Drive – The Divine Line" was a one-day, self-guided tour presented by Docomomo US Wisconsin during Historic Milwaukee’s Doors Open weekend, inviting the public to explore twelve midcentury modern churches along the Capitol Drive corridor. The program highlighted the diversity and innovation of postwar sacred architecture in the Milwaukee area, featuring works by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Donald Grieb, Fritz von Grossmann, and Harry Ollrogge, alongside projects by lesser-known designers connected to the early civil rights era and the dalle de verre stained glass movement. Participants discovered domed sanctuaries, luminous glass chapels, river-rock grottoes, and sculptural modernist forms that redefined religious space in the mid-twentieth century. A 32-page booklet, route map, and on-site docents provided historical and architectural context, making the tour both educational and accessible. The project advanced Docomomo Wisconsin’s mission to promote awareness, appreciation, and preservation of modern architecture across the state.

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Credits

Project Coordination, Research, and Author: Seth Ter Haar
Project Lead, Architectural Photographer, and Author: Eric Vogel
Layout and Production: Scott Templeton
Authors and Researchers: Andy Hope, Emily Hankins, Annemarie Sawkins
Doco Drive Tour Committee: Heidi Swan, Traci Schwartz, Justin Racinowski

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Press: 

Docomomo US (Modernism in America Awards 2025)