Council Committee Says Milwaukee Theater, Arena Are Historic

UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (center) and Miller High Life Theatre (left). Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee Common Council is on the verge of giving itself a key role in deciding the future of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre.

Any future demolition of the buildings would require city approval as a result of a pending historic designation.

The move comes with the support of the arena’s anchor tenants, the Milwaukee Admirals and UW-Milwaukee, but with the strident objections of the buildings’ owner, the Wisconsin Center District (WCD).

The Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee spent nearly two hours Tuesday debating the historic designation of the two publicly-owned structures before recommending they be protected.

“I don’t think there is any question that these two buildings qualify as historic,” said Ald. Robert Bauman. “Whether we will oppose their possible redevelopment in five, or six, or seven years, that is an entirely different question… nothing that we will do here today will prevent that development. The only thing we do here today will create a process.”

Throughout the nomination process, Bauman has given a master class in crafting political leverage. First, he nominated the buildings for historic protection after news broke that a study could recommend their demolition and replacement by a large hotel. Then, as chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, he led the commission in recommending their protection. On Tuesday, Bauman chaired the zoning committee meeting and controlled the hearing before yielding the gavel to move that the committee designate the buildings as historic.

Local historic designation requires property owners to secure a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission or the council before any exterior modification or demolition. Interior modifications are not restricted.

The designation, if approved by the full council next week, would come as WCD is examining the future of the two buildings. It completed the $456 million Baird Center expansion last year and WCD officials have previously said a large, convention hotel is an amenity that would boost the Baird Center’s utilization and attractiveness.

Consulting firm Hunden Partners is conducting a study on the highest and best use for the arena and theater, which cover a 6.4-acre site along W. Kilbourn Avenue. The firm is looking at several downtown sites for a potential convention hotel. The report is expected to be completed in January. WCD is already moving to make all of the tenant leases and naming rights agreements expire no later than 2029.

During his testimony, Marty Brooks, WCD president and CEO, reiterated his prior claim that no decision on the buildings’ future has been made.

“There was no predetermination of the study, despite what has been said and what I have been accused of,” he said. Brooks also said a separate study on the maintenance needs of the buildings for the next 20 years was underway.

He said designation would be a “mistake” and costly for WCD. Brooks also said the structures have been substantially modified since they were built — in 1909 for the theater and 1950 for the arena.

“When historic preservation is used inappropriately, it can unintentionally stall progress, limit adaptability and burden taxpayers,” said Brooks. “We have seen what happens when historic designation isn’t protection, but is instead paralysis.”

Brooks, citing an example, said a requirement to replace the copper roof of the arena with a new copper roof instead of switching to zinc would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more, which he said would be passed on to taxpayers.

But Bauman said that was a future hypothetical that the commission would weigh in on, and not about the merits of whether the buildings should be designated.

After many speakers gave examples of concerts and other events they’ve attended in the buildings, Brooks acknowledged the buildings have been the site of many important events. “But those events do not live in those structures anymore. They live in memories of people, pictures and history books.”

Ald. Scott Spiker ultimately challenged Brooks point-by-point on the five criteria the Historic Preservation Commission staff said qualify the buildings for historic designation, including the buildings’ role in the city, state and country’s history, their location as the site of significant historic events, the architecture of the structures, the significance of the architects who designed them and their role as visual icons of the city.

“I will certainly not take the position that nothing notable happened… I dispute that that makes them historical,” said Brooks.

Spiker asked about the most famous event to happen in the theater: former President Theodore Roosevelt’s 90-minute campaign speech in 1912, delivered shortly after he was shot in the chest while leaving a nearby hotel. Roosevelt was running for a new term as president as a member of the Bull Moose Party and was saved by the thickness of the speech in his pocket and his eyeglass case.

“I am not a presidential expert, but even I knew that one. Isn’t that a significant historical event Mr. Brooks?” asked Spiker.

“I would acknowledge that it was a historical event that occurred in Milwaukee,” Brooks said. “I would say it was a historic event. I would not say it’s significant.”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” said Spiker.

Brooks later conceded one of the points: he accepted that the buildings were identifiable works of the theater’s designer, Ferry & Clas, and the arena’s architect, Eschweiler & Eschweiler. “Two of the most prominent architectural firms this city has ever known,” said historic commission senior planner Tim Askin.

“This one surely you must relent on,” said Spiker. Brooks did.

UWM, Admirals support arena’s preservation

“The Milwaukee Admirals are not against a convention center hotel or additional progress that the city and county want, we believe all benefit from a vibrant Downtown. What we are against is the knocking down of this arena,” said Admirals owner Harris Turer.

He said Fiserv Forum isn’t a viable venue for the minor league hockey team because of the cost and scheduling conflicts with the Milwaukee Bucks and other events.

Turer stopped short of publicly speculating on the future of the team, but both Bauman and Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride have said Turer has told them the team is likely to be sold and relocated to another city if it loses the venue. McBride, a WCD board member, testified in favor of designation.

UWM Chief Government Relations Officer Keri Duce said the university also supports keeping the arena. “The Panther Arena is one of Milwaukee’s most important civic assets,” she said.

The university’s men’s basketball team plays in the building and it also hosts its graduation ceremonies in the arena.

“There are no viable alternative facilities for professional hockey or professional indoor soccer and UWM’s on-campus venue is not suitable for the new era of Division I men’s basketball,” said Duce. “The loss of this venue would put those teams and the economic activity they generate at risk.”

Duce and Turer both said the venue allows the two entities to provide affordable entertainment. Turer said the team was proud of its average attendance of 6,100 last season and the spinoff hotel and bar and restaurant business it generates.

The Admirals’ lease runs through 2027. The UW-Milwaukee lease and naming rights agreement lasts through 2029.

What happens next?

Miller High Life Theatre. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The full council is scheduled to vote on the designation at its Nov. 25 meeting.

Brooks said the Hunden study would be released during the WCD’s Jan. 30 board meeting.

“Nothing’s being done to any of the buildings without people being aware of it,” said Brooks. “There’s going to be no surprises.”

Bauman said the Wisconsin Center District board is not transparent because it does not hold public hearings and meets infrequently. “Yes, you can watch the proceedings, but you cannot participate like you did today,” said Bauman.

The committee voted 4-0-1 to recommend designation.

Ald. Milele A. Coggs abstained after asking largely unanswered questions about why a 2000 historic designation nomination for the theater failed. The alderwoman, who is also a WCD board member, said the board’s meetings were public.

Others turn out in support, opposition

A number of other individuals gave testimony on the designation, but rarely did they focus on the merits of the issue.

Supporters in favor of designation included Calderone Club owner Gino Fazzari and DOC’s Commerce Smokehouse co-owner Brent Brashier, Milwaukee Preservation Alliance Executive Director Emma Rudd and Boys & Girls Club Associate Vice President Andre Douglas. Fazzari and Brashier talked about the economic impact, Douglas talked about the Admirals’ philanthropy and only Rudd addressed the buildings’ merits.

Three buildings trade union members, ironworker Jose Martin, Jr., IBEW 494 assistant business manager Nick Campbell and operating engineer Thomas Moore, spoke against the designation or raised concerns that it would impede the growth of the city.

Historic commission members Matt Jarosz, a UW-Milwaukee architecture professor, and Patti Keating Kahn, a downtown building owner, explained their votes in favor of designation and encouraged the committee to do the same.

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