GREENDALE — Greendale, Wisconsin may have the coolest chimneys in America — here's why
The town is home to more than 200 artistic chimney designs, each telling a unique story about the people who have lived there.
Take a look up while driving through Greendale, and you'll see them: waves for an owner who loved the ocean, a camera for a filmmaker, a cross for a retired nun, a Brewers logo for a baseball fan, an ice cream cone for an ice cream shop owner, the marathon time for a marathon runner and a school house for his wife who was a teacher.
The man responsible for these chimneys is Al Emmons, who has since passed. Colleen Fechtmeyer, a historic tour guide who has been leading history tours in Greendale for 25 years, said Emmons had a simple pitch for homeowners.
"He'd say, you know what, for $3,000 I can re-stucco your chimney. You have a design, $1,500. He would make them an offer he couldn't refuse," Fechtmeyer said.
It was a labor of love — and part necessity. When Emmons put stucco on the brick chimney, there would be these slight imperfections.
"When he stuccoed over, there was a lump. Al always said like a pimple. Couldn't have that. It looked funny," Fechtmeyer said.
Watch the video below to see more artistic chimneys...
The art helped cover it and quickly became popular among Greendale residents.
The story of the chimneys, however, goes back much further than Emmons. It all starts in 1938 when Greendale was founded.
Greendale was one of three towns built from scratch by the U.S. government in the 1930s, designed to be utopian community of sorts. All the stores you need in a centralized downtown that was easy to walk from each house. Many homes were dead ends instead of through streets. The towns prioritized green space and family safety. The others are Greenhills, Ohio, and Greenbelt, Maryland. They are known as 'Greenbelt' communities.
"They had a butcher shop, a grocery store, a movie theater, cause it was not only about a better place to live, it was about a better life," Fechtmeyer said.
The towns were built around three goals: combining the best of rural and urban life, providing good jobs, and building affordable homes. Those homes were built with coal-powered fireplaces that required chimneys. Over time, residents transitioned to gas heating, leaving the fireplaces and chimneys unused. As the chimneys began to crumble, Emmons offered a cheaper and more artistic alternative to re-bricking them. That is why Greendale has such personalized chimneys today.
It just goes to show there are so many awesome things around us. Sometimes you just have to stop, look around, and you might see some beautiful chimneys.
To go on a guided tour with Fechtmeyer, click this link to learn more.
This story was reported on-air by James Groh and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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