See Designs, Name For New East Side Music Venue
Pabst Theater Group unveils venue that will replace The Back Room.
Vivarium. Rendering by Kubala Washatko Architects
Pabst Theater Group (PTG) will open a new, 450-person entertainment venue on Farwell Avenue early next year, bringing new life to a former office space in the Lower East Side neighborhood. Mirroring that purpose is the venue’s title, Vivarium, which is Latin for “place of life.”
The all-ages entertainment venue is slated to host its first acts in early 2024 at 1818 N. Farwell Ave.
PTG CEO Gary Witt, Alderman Jonathan Brostoff and others involved in the project gathered at the site Wednesday afternoon to officially announce the upcoming concept.
“We’re super happy to be able to be here today,” said Witt, who stood in front of a verdant backdrop emblazoned with the venue’s title. “Everyone has really welcomed us with open arms so far.”
Witt described the upcoming venue as a “living and breathing space” filled with “plants and creative energy.”
Renderings of the venue indicate plans for an outdoor awning, large blade sign and a bike parklet along Farwell Avenue. Inside, Vivarium will feature Cream City brick and wood walls made with 100-year-old trees from Northern Wisconsin. Skylights offer a glimpse of nearby apartment buildings and an abundance of natural light. The venue will also include back-of-house amenities including a secure load-in space, laundering area and green rooms.
Architecture and urban design firm The Kubala Washatko Architects (TWKA) is working with the Pabst Theater Group to redesign the space.
“This is going to be a place, I think, that defies expectations and evolves what PTG offers to the community,” said Chris Socha a partner at TKWA. “The whole charge here is to infuse this building, this neighborhood, this block, with life. “
The current space is bare bones — though Socha pointed to architectural touches, including its “beautiful trusses” — but will soon be transformed with the help of Findorff, the general contractor for the project. Construction work is already underway.
Vivarium will occupy a 4,500-square-foot stall at the south end of a building that also houses Domino’s Pizza, Ethiopian Cottage Restaurant and Chopstix; the three restaurants are intended to be able to serve concertgoers directly.
The new venue will replace Back Room @ Colectivo, which is slated to close at the end of the year. The impending change was revealed in May.
As PTG enters its 21st year in Milwaukee, Witt said he’s hopeful that the group’s record speaks for itself. “Doing what we’re doing really speaks for how much we care about the city and the places around us, and how much we believe in the city growing.”
In his speech Wednesday, Witt also touted small, independent venues throughout the city as not only a launch pad for future arena-level acts, but also a place where Milwaukeeans can find community and discover new music.
“It’s been inspirational to see the city being able to compete at a small club level,” he said. “I think it’s really important that these venues exist. That’s the reason why, instead of stepping up, we stepped down into the club world to be able to continue this.”
In addition to PTG’s own core venues, which include the Pabst Theater, The Riverside Theater, Miller High Life Theatre, Turner Hall and The Fitzgerald, Witt highlighted Cactus Club, Shank Hall, The Cooperage, Linneman’s, The Rave and Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade.
“I could go on and on,” he said. “I think that Vivarium has an opportunity to play an important role in the growth of events in this city.”
Another key component of the Vivarium is its all-ages designation — a detail that particularly appealed to Brostoff, alderman for the area. “It’s filling an important need in Milwaukee right now,” he said of Vivarium. “We need more stuff for kids to do. We need more opportunities and positive context for people of all ages — for our youth — to be able to come hang out.”
“The fact that they (PTG) had the foresight and the open mind to make this an all-ages venue is just incredible.”
PTG plans to purchase the single-story commercial building at 1816-1828 N. Farwell Ave. from an affiliate of New Land Enterprises. The Virvarium stall was last used as a temporary office for New Land while Urbanite was constructed.
Photos and Renderings
2020 Photos
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