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Completed in 1884, the former Temple Zion is now home to Wahl Organbuilders. Houdini's father, Mayer Samuel Weiss, was brought to Appleton as the city's first rabbi and the Temple Zion was to be his synagogue. He was dismissed before it was opened because he preached in German in a time that English was becoming prevalent. The German craftsman style building served as a synagogue until 1932.

Holy Innocents Catholic Church (affectionately known as HI), dedicated in 1950 by Bishop Bona, features a giant light-up rosary (far right). Hovering over statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying children, and lambs made of concrete, the grouping commemorates the secret message of Fatima. The blue electric rosary remains one of our favorite after-dark Manitowoc sites and is easily viewed from the car while cruising down Waldo Boulevard. The church was named for the martyred Holy Innocents more specifically for the male infants that were "slaughtered within two years following the apparition of the star to the Wise Men." HI and five other churches were "consolidated" into one named St. Francis of Assisi Parish to serve all of the city of Manitowoc in 2005.  Names like Holy Innocents or  St. Boniface were jettisoned and the facilities are now referred to as the Waldo site or the Marshall site, etc. relating to their street address. We knew these churches best through their basement rummage and bake sales held in the fall and spring and orchestrated by community-members to raise funds for church operations. In the 1990s, these sales were ripe with mid-century consumer goods like dishware, rhinestones, wool suits, statuary, hankies, and LPs for sale for nickels and dimes. In contrast the St. Francis website features an apparel store along with the church bulletin, a media center, and updates on the school. The mission statement remains as mysterious as the Virgin Mary's message at Fatima: The Manitowoc Catholic Community exists as a sacramental body of Christ, to love as Christ loved, by boldly proclaiming our faith, teaching our youth, spreading the Good News of Jesus, and serving one another and others in an ever-changing community.

Located in a residential neighborhood yet near to a Citgo, Pizza Hut, ATM and Video Now Productions the Apostolic Truth Church (ATC) is devoid of grandiose pretensions. The functional yet vast architecture shows only minimal symbolic decoration and features ample parking. ATC has three core "desires" according to its informational website. Members want to: "know Jesus Christ, grow in Jesus Christ, and show in the love of Jesus Christ." Musicians "who love Jesus Christ prepare church-goers to hear the Word of God" at Sunday services.

Built in 1901 and run as a sanitarium until 1909, St. Mary's Springs was operated as a rest resort with hot springs according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. The Sisters of Saint Agnes turned it first into a Catholic girls college prep school and later a Catholic co-ed K-12 school. The building on the right, Boyle Hall, was torn down in September 2005 after years of benign neglect. The building on the left does not appear in recent photographs.  Ghost stories about a stillborn baby and the suicide with crucifix of the nun who delivered it in a Boyle Hall elevator were dispelled by ghost hunter Chad Lewis.

 The faltering discount chain, Kmart, still has a store in a small Wisconsin town known as the birthplace of the Tombstone Pizza. We stopped there for underwear on a road trip in the Rambler en route to Phillips, Wisconsin believing it was our only option given the rural-ness of our route. They mostly had Hanes granny panties, a 6-pack for $9.99 and seemed to be a hub of commerce in the community.

 A quick google search reveals no trace of the "fascinating Wonderfall" today other than the occasional abandoned mall shot. Truly a work of public art placed in the democratic space of the shopping mall nearly half century ago. These fountains apparently made of nylon strands and glycerine are described briefly on the Mall Hall of Fame blog and are notoriously difficult to maintain according to artist Brian Ulrich whose photographs and research have focused on the mall in recent years. Brookfield Square wasn't the only mall with a "Wonderfall" though, other malls had them and newspaper ads described them as "mystifying." There seems to be little trace of giant operating Wonderfall in malls these days. Everyone can remember small scale versions in nursing home and supper club lobbies and home versions turn up frequently on eBay and the occasional nostalgic video.

This is where people live in the 21st century. Not far from the strip malls and franchise restaurants.

Oblivious to the forces of nature, the suburban shopper of the late 1960s could browse the mall in climate-controlled comfort once the car was parked outside in the lot. Fully enclosed expansive shopping malls seem quaintly historic in the age of Target and Amazon. But you wouldn't think so by looking at survivor mall websites like the one for Brookfield Square, which first opened in 1967. Avoiding the topic of "history", Brookfield Square has been re-envisioned for the 21st century as a bright and airy social spot with world food and trendy clothes. Still, the traditional Sears and JC Penney stores serve as anchor stores rather than the defunct Woolworth's with abundant ficus plants shown on this postcard. The Woolworth's store at the Mid-Cities Mall (opened in 1968) in our home town of Manitowoc, WI was a hot spot and frequent destination when we were teenagers. Woolworth's sold records, magazines, parakeets, house plants, lip gloss, colorful tights, and had a restaurant that served grilled hot dogs and a particularly fluffy lemony cheese cake within its walnut Formica paneled interior.