Renderings Released for Convention Center Expansion

We now know what expanded Wisconsin Center will look like.

The Wisconsin Center District released renderings Friday morning of the up to $425 million expansion that would double the amount of space in the 22-year-old convention center.

The expansion is being designed by a partnership of Eppstein Uhen Architects and Atlanta-based tvsdesign.

The final design would add 112,000 square feet of space to the exhibition hall, creating a 300,000-square-foot hall. A ballroom would be included in the expansion with a minimum of 30,000 square feet of space and a seating capacity of at least 2,000. A total of 24 meeting rooms would be added to the building.

While the building’s first phase was focused on W. Wisconsin Ave., the expansion would also give the building a front door along W. Kilbourn Ave. A rooftop deck overlooking W. Kilbourn Ave. and N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. would be included.

The existing portion of the building that straddles W. Wells St. would get a new facade, intended to harmonize the 1998 portion’s derivative German style with the proposed glassy addition.

A waterfall, visible from the street, is planned for the northeast corner of the building.

“Other design elements include modernizing the existing facility’s interior, creating a cohesive feeling between the current and new facility; building new employee locker rooms, break, training, and briefing rooms; adding gender-neutral bathrooms, quiet rooms and nursing mother’s rooms; and creating outdoor patio spaces. The new facility will also include a centralized Visit Milwaukee Visitor Center,” said the district in a press release.

The design replaces conceptual renderings released in 2018. Neither batch of renderings has shown the N. 6th Street facade, which is currently where the loading docks and a winding ramp are located.

The board discussed the design and financing plan at its Friday morning meeting. We’ll have a full update later today.

For more details on the project, including the general contractor, financing plan and timeline, see our coverage linked below.

Newly Released Renderings

Earlier Renderings

Current Building