Helmut Ajango

{{Infobox person

| name = Helmut "Mike" Ajango

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|11|30}}

| birth_place = Võru, Estonia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|11|15|1931|11|30}}

| death_place =

| nationality = Estonian-American

| occupation = Architect

| known_for = Designing over 175 churches in southern Wisconsin, Fireside Dinner Theatre, The Gobbler

| education = Wittenberg University (1953)
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1958)

| awards = Milwaukee Inner City North Avenue Redevelopment Project Architectural Competition (1999)

| spouse = Martha Ajango

| children = 3

| organizations = United Brotherhood of Christ

}}

Helmut "Mike" Ajango (November 30, 1931 – November 15, 2013) was an Estonian-born architect based in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin in the United States.[http://www.dailyunion.com/news/fort_atkinson/article_e24991f0-506c-11e3-8ffc-001a4bcf6878.html Creative mind behind Fireside, Gobbler Fort architect Ajango dead] November 18, 2013 Daily Jefferson County Union[http://host.madison.com/news/local/obituaries/ajango-helmut/article_ba19dbd3-0469-50fd-8d06-f4d700cb9333.html#ixzz2pe8sK4lW obituary] Madison.com He designed more than 175 churches in southern Wisconsin as well as Fireside Dinner Theatre (1964) and The Gobbler. His work has been described as combining Mid-Century Modern architecture and Prairie Architecture. Fellow Fort Atkinson architect Gene LaMuro worked with Ajango on some of his projects.

Ajango was born in Võru, Estonia and fled with his family in 1944 to Germany when the Red Army returned to resume the Soviet occupation that had begun in 1939. In 1949, the family immigrated to the United States. Ajango graduated from Wittenberg University (1953) after studying art and mathematics and from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1958) with an architectural degree. He served in the U.S. Army including as a meteorologist for artillery during the Korean War. When he returned home he became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

He established his architectural firm in Fort Atkinson in 1962. He studied architecture in Europe for six months on a Plym Fellowship from the University of Illinois in 1966.

Ajango won the Milwaukee Inner City North Avenue Redevelopment Project Architectural Competition, in 1999 to redesign the buildings on one side of a city block. He bought the Faith Community Church building on Main Street and converted it into apartments. He and his wife Martha had three children. He was a member of the United Brotherhood of Christ congregation in Fort Atkinson.{{cite news |title=The Ft. Atkinson Congregation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-helmut-ajango-1931-20/162615147/ |work=The Capital Times |date=March 23, 1970 | location=Madison, WI |page=5 |access-date=January 9, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} He was a Green Bay Packers fan.

Works

Fireside Dinner Theatre, Fort Atkinson, WI (1964)
Dekorra Lutheran Church in Dekorra, Wisconsin (1971){{cite news |title=The Dekorra Lutheran Church |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-helmut-ajango-1931-20/162615417/ |work=The Capital Times |date=November 25, 1970 | location=Madison, WI |page=5 |access-date=January 9, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Gobbler Supper Club and Motel in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin
Monument to those murdered by the occupying Russian Army in 1942 in Tartu, Estonia[https://web.archive.org/web/20010314181000/http://www.helmutajango.com/commercial/13.html Tartu monument] Helmut Ajango website dedicated in 2001 (after a construction delay)
Mount Pleasant Church in Racine, Wisconsin
Evansville High School (Wisconsin)
Water Tower Place office building on Madison, Wisconsin's Monona Drive{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Scott |date=2023-02-24 |title=Monona's tilted trapezoid of wonder |url=https://tonemadison.com/articles/mononas-tilted-trapezoid-of-wonder/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Tone Madison |language=en-US}}
Manchester Building on the square in Madison
Hoard Historical Museum expansion and renovation
Mack building and Wilson building renovation
Fort Atkinson Municipal Building in downtown Fort Atkinson
First Federal Building redesign into Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce office
Bank of Fort Atkinson expansion and renovation (first), now Johnson Bank
Black Hawk Hotel conversion for senior housing
Nasco additions
Shalom Presbyterian Church redesign and renovation (became Grace United Church, Ajango's congregation) [http://wcucc.org/ace-files/narrative-directory-wcucc.pdf Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ 50th Anniversary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116115417/http://wcucc.org/ace-files/narrative-directory-wcucc.pdf |date=2014-01-16 }} page B 18
Wading pool shade cover at the original Fort Atkinson municipal pool
Assisted with the dome park shelter at Rock River Park
Helped develop the chamber of commerce's Fort Atkinson: City of Progress brochure
Designed staging and sets for the Fort Atkinson Community Theatre
Wrote and distributed a civil defense survey
Designed the Fort Atkinson bypass
Designed signs for chamber of commerce and municipal building
Restrooms in Ralph Park
Community-built house for a former chamber tourism director.

Helmut Ajango

Works

See also

References

Further reading