Milwaukee Rep Plans $75 Million Overhaul
Complete rebuilding of two theaters planned with Associated Bank becoming naming rights sponsor for entire Rep complex.
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater is set to overhaul its downtown theater campus as part of a $75 million project.
The organization announced a $10 million, 20-year sponsorship agreement Thursday with Associated Bank that will see the three-theater complex renamed the Associated Bank Theater Center.
The project includes the complete rebuilding of the Quadracci Powerhouse (720 seats) and Stiemke Studio (205 seats) theaters. The 186-seat Stackner Cabaret, which was overhauled in 2018, will see minor changes. The complex also includes rehearsal spaces, staff offices and production spaces that will be overhauled.
“Milwaukee Rep has been a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s cultural heritage for nearly 70 years. We couldn’t be more proud to provide this enduring commitment to their mission and to making Milwaukee a more vibrant place to live and work,” said Associated Bank president and CEO Andy Harmening.
“More information about the complex, designs and timeline will be provided by Milwaukee Rep in the coming months,” said the organization.
The facility is located at 108 E. Wells St. along the Milwaukee River.
The theater complex was created from a redeveloped power plant in the 1980s and stretches into a mixed-use complex now known as Associated Bank River Center. The bank acquired the 28-story, 373,000-square-foot office tower at the center of the complex in 2016. Other properties connected to what was known as the Milwaukee Center include the Saint Kate The Arts Hotel and the Pabst Theater. A large parking garage is located under the development.
The theater portion of the development was most recently known as The Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex. It opened in 1987. The central building in the theater dates back to 1898 and was built for the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company as the Oneida Street Station. Designed by Herman Esser, it bears the notable engineering distinction of being the first power plant in the country to burn pulverized coal.
Photos and Renderings
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It looks fabulous, but I noticed that the beautiful rendering does not include the two trash dumpsters that the Pabst Theater prominently displays at this entrance along Wells Street 24-7-365. Will they finally be removed and stored inside where they belong?
Great news on the Associated Bank gift. They’re really coming through on their investment in downtown!
And, on the “I can’t believe I’m already an old-timer” front, here are links to pics of the old Wells (Oneida) Street Station before it was renovated into the Rep.
https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/HstoricPho/id/1026/
https://www.pilgrimuccgrafton-racialjustice.org/post/march-on-milwaukee
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Property/HI16648
I can’t believe I was just a couple years out of college when the Rep opened here and that, before then, the power station was a big part of my downtown experience. It was always there—next to City Hall and the Pabst. We always went to the Rep at the Todd Wehr Theatre at the PAC.
I remember when the renovation was announced and they said they were going to call it the Powerhouse. I really hoped they would keep one of the smokestacks intact. Like the Tate Modern did in London years later. That would have been cool…