A big win for the orchestra and Downtown, with a minor impact on Marcus Center.
A big win for the orchestra and Downtown, with a minor impact on Marcus Center. Back to the full article.
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Marcus Center will not be in good place. They need to replace their HVAC system which will cost millions and they’ll be soliciting the same group of donors while enduring a cut in operating revenue from losing the MSO.
Chris, the Marcus Center will soon be owned by the Entertainment District that’s building the new arena. Let the Bucks and new arena pay for refurbishing the PAC, it literally is the least they could do.
Bruce, I am in total agreement with you on this. And, thanks for sharing all the info on why this is important for the symphony, artistically.
A new home for the MSO in the old Warner Grand will be transformative for this part of downtown. Franky l, I think its bigger than the Bucks Arena and the Couture–as great as those are for downtown. Those projects are all “donut” projects. This one helps fill the “hole.”
I love reading about how the symphony is already talking to the new Grand Ave. owners about how they can bring critical synergy to their respective projects and to the area. This part of downtown needs a little love and this move is an amazing valentine if it can be financed. (I would love to be a wealthy Milwaukee philanthropist right now. My giving to this project would have such amazing impact on the City for generations to come.)
Before the Grand Ave. came out with its reactivation plans, I had begun to wonder if one or more arts groups could make W. Wisconsin Avenue their home. Where I am here in Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet has a prime location and presence on State Street. Big sign. You walk by at night and see rehearsals going on in its 3rd floor digs. That’s cosmopolitan! I had wondered about the Milwaukee Ballet moving into the Grand Ave. (I think the Third Street location is a mistake, especially given the symphony’s latest plans. total waste for a 1-2 story structure.) And, I wondered what would be keeping the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in the old house on Prospect. Having the conservatory downtown could provide further synergy, and imagine it being located in the floors just above the new symphony hall. I would love to see more residential in parking lots between Plankinton and 3rd, and Wisconsin and Kilbourn. And, what would it be like to activate the alleys in between with, restaurants, cafes, bars, a couple of jazz and blues venues, Improv and comedy, etc.
Downtown Santa cannot come too quickly for me. 😉
What an incredible Christmas present for the City of Milwaukee and for all of us who remember this theater and the others that dotted Wisconsin Avenue years ago. While the memories of movies seen here and at the Esquire and Strand movie theaters are fond, to hear of another of Milwaukee’s landmark theaters being saved is music to my heart. I applaud this move along with the rest of the efforts to revitalize Wisconsin Avenue. I for one cannot wait to hear The Symphony play here.
If you build it they will come.
This is an energizing, dynamic plan that will pay dividends for decades.
Bruce, the Grand Theatre and the building itself is owned by various owners. If by chance the MSO does move in that spot a miracle has happened. The property is one of a very few downtown that has not been rehabilitated recently. Milwaukee Downtown is a big winner if this building gets some much needed TLC.
Tim,
Yes, Milwaukeeans might reasonably hope the Bucks would show their gratitude for all the public “housewarming gifts” they’ve received by funding a Marcus Center renovation–or any civic project. Unfortunately, the Bucks’ donations so far have been pathetic token giving–done for PR. There are no indications that might change.
Chris Abele’s plan, on hold, is to dump the Marcus into the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), a quasi-governmental state-owned authority that will officially “own” the new arena (though the Bucks will get all the profits). If the Marcus gets spun off into the WCD they would be fifth fiddle (after Bucks Arena, Convention Center, Panther Arena and Milwaukee Theater). Marcus would have little status and probably no control over their destiny–and would have to grovel for any funding.
The Marcus has been asking the County for years to be able to develop a multi-use parking and commercial structure to generate income and greater autonomy (like what MSO plans to do). That seems a much-more hopeful prospect than being tethered to Bucks, Inc. in a contrived alliance.
Under a WCD umbrella, the Marcus could be vulnerable to a management takeover by some entity running the Bucks Arena–perhaps by a big multi-national entertainment management conglomerate.
In any case, the Grand Theater project could be truly grand and a big boon.
I cannot wait to hear the symphony in this perfect, beautiful, historic place! What a smart move for all. Cheers!
I think this is the best news of the year–for the MSO, for the arts in general, and for West Wisonsin Ave. This is way overdue for the MSO, which deserves its own space, and for the gorgeous Warner Grand.
As for the building itself, I hope the MSO looks south for inspiration. Chicago’s Fine Arts Building, a block south of Orchestra Hall, is a similarly sized structure that’s filled with art galleries, arts studios and offices, and other arts-related businesses. The penthouse jazz space idea sounds great, but if not that, how about a restaurant catering to MSO patrons?
I attended those acoustical tests back in 2001. Maybe it was dim and dark, but I have no recollection of the Grand being so beautiful and ornate as it appears in these pictures.
The time was all wrong for the MSO to attempt such a project then, but the time has finally come to act on this very good idea. Imaginative, civic-minded ownership of the Grand Ave has a lot to do with that. Best of luck to Mark and all involved.
It’s cool that retired music teacher Myron Heaton’s found willing partners in MSO for a big vision.
http://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/theater-fan-trying-to-revive-historic-grand-on-wisconsin-ave-b9948446z1-214556411.html
I’m all for saving a historic movie theater and filling it with a symphony that can make use of its great acoustics!
Anybody who’s spent any time attending MSO concerts knows which few seats deliver the best, most balanced, sound. And those seats are super expensive and held onto closely by season ticket holders. Just the thought that maybe, just maybe, there would be a few more “good” seats available for those of us who are patrons, but not rich patrons, why, we’d go bonkers! I’m all for it, Bruce.
Am I the only one that recalls the previous sound tests in the early 2000s showed it to have poor acoustics for a symphony?
They should consider a roof-top cafe on 200-208 W Wisconsin. They should also look into constructing a skywalk from that building to the Grand Avenue.
Also, I’d like to donate toward this effort, but the MSO hasn’t started fund-raising yet, so there seems to be no simple way to do this. Can somebody from MSO describe how I can designate money for the Grand Theatre restoration?
Tom D, there is no online link to donate at this point. MSO says “if you would like to make a gift contingent on the Symphony Center/Warner Grand Theatre initiative moving forward, please contact Pam Garvey at (414) 226-7857 or Alice Wilson at (414) 226-7804.”
According to this website, the acoustics are excellent for the symphony.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1903
The beautiful rendering of renovated Grand Warner Theater shows a deep stage with additional seating curving behind (like Chicago’s Orchestra Hall).
Someone has made a point elsewhere that the movie theater design did not include any real depth to the actual stage. From the outside, the “fly” of the theater (area directly above the stage for hanging a theater screen, curtains, lights and backdrops) appears to be located right up to the sidewalk of N. 2nd St.
If you can’t move the proscenium forward, and you can’t push the back wall out (east), where they gonna get more space? Just asking.
Gary, I can’t speak for the MSO, but I’d think the main issue is whether stage is big enough to fit the orchestra. Unlike theater or dance, there’s no need for backstage sets, props, etc. Musicians can enter from the wing or wings.
I’d wonder if one of the non-MSO events for the Grand would be as an additional venue for the Milwaukee Film Festival. There aren’t many venues left if the Festival wants to continue to expand and a theater right downtown seems to fit into the center of gravity of the festival.
Back in 2001, the idea was to gain stage depth by building out over 2nd St. Maybe that’s still in the cards.