Milwaukee Rep Plans $75 Million Overhaul

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.

“Theater has changed since we moved into our current home in the 1980s — and so has our community. While it has served us well for four decades, our aging and inefficient complex limits the productions we stage, the plays we develop, and the kind of educational impact we create,” said Chad Bauman, executive director of Milwaukee Rep, in a statement. “With a new theater complex, Milwaukee Rep will ensure world-class theater remains in the heart of downtown Milwaukee for decades to come.”

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.

The Rep, in a press release, said it has completed conceptual design, budgeting and planning for construction in partnership with Eppstein Uhen Architects, Hunzinger Construction and construction management and advisory firm Chamberlin LLC.

“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.

Associated has been substantially overhauling the building’s common spaces in recent years as it relocates employees from nearby leased office space. Earlier this month, the bank announced it will open Vault, a bar overlooking the Milwaukee River, and new taco, sandwich and coffee shops at a central marketplace in partnership with F Street Hospitality. A full-service bank branch is planned for the building, replacing one that closed several years before Associated acquired the property. A dedicated office space, known as the Center for Professional Development, opened earlier this year in partnership with ALIVE Milwaukee and is focused on supporting nonprofits.

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.

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