Stained glass windows original to 128-year-old Cudahy Train Depot shattered by vandals

CUDAHY -- Officials with the Cudahy Historical Society on Monday, April 20 said vandalism to the Cudahy Train Depot on S. Kinnickinnic Avenue will cost around $15,000 to clean up and repair after vandals shattered seven windows on the 128-year-old building -- five of them stained glass panes original to the building.

The vandalism was discovered on the morning of Feb. 24.

Seven windows were shattered by bricks, rocks and a tree branch, and inside, the building was littered with hundreds of golf ball sized rocks that can be found in abundance behind the depot around the train tracks.

There were also some bricks that were thrown that did some damage to restored hardwood floors inside.

Additionally, several artifacts in the museum were shattered beyond repair -- deemed irreplaceable.

Cudahy Historical Society officials noted glass shards and slivers covering every square inch of the building.

Police were called and a report was made.

Two days later, it was discovered that someone came again and threw rocks through one more stained-glass window "to add insult to injury," officials said. Police were called again, and another report was made.

As of Monday, there were no leads.

Meanwhile, Cudahy Historical Society officials estimated repairing the damage to cost around $15,000 after indoor clean-up by Marathon Restoration, historic glass window repair and restoration by Enterprise Art Glass Works beginning in May and the installation of a new security system and cameras to monitor the backside of the building.

As a building that is listed on the county, state, and National Register of Historic Places, the nonprofit, volunteer organization is "bound to repair and restore the building as closely to its original state as possible," officials said.

Officials noted in a news release Monday: "This is the building Patrick Cudahy built to transport his employees to work every morning from the rooming houses they stayed at in Milwaukee. This is the building that started a city."

Cudahy Historical Society officials added: "We are barely getting by covering our monthly expenses to keep the building and grounds operational, and this new damage will take a lot of bake sales to cover. It is very disheartening to the small group of members who work tirelessly to keep this little gem open to the public by holding historical-based programs, public events, and participating annually in Doors Open Milwaukee that has attracted a few thousand people to tour our building the past couple of years."

Anyone who wishes to donate toward repair costs can do HERE.