By Tom Wenstadt

About 175 people witnessed the christening of the eleven-story James F. Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay on a warm, sunny Saturday morning, May 22.

The tower’s official opening included the first floor Door peninsula welcoming area and the tenth floor “Working Waterfront” exhibit, with planned debuts for the other themed levels this fall and next spring. Ground was broken for the tower on Nov. 13, 2019.

A traditional, brightly adorned bottle of champagne was smashed against the base of the tower by Virginia Kress, followed by a master’s salute of three long blasts and two short ones from the horns on the museum’s tug JOHN PURVES, along with a concert of horn blasts from other vessels in the area. The tower officially opened to the public at noon. On Saturday 170 tourists  entered the building through the afternoon with 140 more on Sunday. All were able to take in the spectacular view from the tenth and eleventh floors.

Kevin Osgood, Executive Director of the museum, kicked off the event. He said the purpose of the tower was to act as a guide for the future by presenting Door County’s maritime past.

At 118 feet, the tower is the fifth tallest building in Northeastern Wisconsin. The tower will serve as a monument to the great maritime history of Sturgeon Bay.

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Terry Connelly, the museum’s President of the Board of Directors, credited his predecessor, Bill Harder, with initiating the project and making it happen. Other dignitaries at the unveiling were State Senator André Jacque and Sturgeon Bay Mayor Dave Ward. Rev. Terry Kinney of Sturgeon Bay gave the invocation.

Mr. Connelly acknowledged the many sponsors who made the tower possible, including more than four hundred individual, family, corporate and foundation donors. They contributed $5.8 million to the the project’s $7.2 million construction capital campaign. This included $1 million from the George F. Kress Foundation and a state of Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grant of $250,000.

Will Kress of the George Kress Foundation and President of Green Bay Packaging said the tower’s namesake was a lifelong sailor.

Bob DeKoch, a Board Director of The Boldt Company, said that during the eighteen months of construction there were no injuries or Covid-19 cases. It was a team effort with the company, museum, city government, architects, and many subcontractors, providing many jobs in the area, he said.

Missy Hughes, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, emphasized the importance of Wisconsin’s waterways to the state’s economy with Door County being a major contributor. The new tower will enhance tourism in the city, county and state, she said.

The following floors of the tower will open in the fall of 2021:

               ● Shipwrecks of Door County, 2nd floor

               ● Life Underwater, 3rd floor

               ● Shipbuilding, 5th floor

               ● Maritime Navigation, 7th floor

The following floors will open in the spring of 2022:

               ● Recreational Boating, 4th floor

               ● Maritime Commerce, 6th floor

               ● Maritime People, 8th floor

               ● Our Maritime Environment, 9th floor

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Photo at top of page:
Virginia Kress winds up with a bottle of champagne to christen the new James F. Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., on May 22, 2021. The eleven story tower will have themed exhibits illustrating the maritime history of Sturgeon Bay. Saturday was the opening of the first and tenth floors with debuts of the other floors set for this fall and next spring. The museum’s tug JOHN PURVES is in the background. Photo Credit: Door County Maritime Museum

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Tom Wenstadt, who lives in Sturgeon Bay, is a retired marine engineer, having worked in the Great Lakes area for thirty-seven years. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and is the author of Freighters of Manitowoc. He is a member of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society. He is a volunteer archival assistant and docent for the JOHN PURVES.