Construction Starts on Deer District Concert Venue

Construction of FPC Live concert venue. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Construction is underway on a long-awaited and once-controversial concert venue.

Without great fanfare, FPC Live has fired up a pile driver on the site of the former Bradley Center. Many of the pilings to support the 4,500-person venue are expected to be in the ground before the Republican National Convention begins on July 15.

Madison-based Frank Productions has publicly sought to develop the venue since 2021. In 2022, the site was shifted from a Historic Third Ward site near Henry Maier Festival Park to the vacant lot immediately south of Fiserv Forum.

As a result of its location directly adjacent to the political convention’s premier venue, workers from Miron Construction are expected to idle for two weeks around the convention. The western portion of the site is being paved with asphalt for a temporary parking lot for production vehicles.

“Because of the RNC, we are behaving a bit unconventional,” said Frank Productions CEO Joel Plant in an interview. “The goal is to get as much of the foundation in the ground as we can.” Starting now allows the company to still reach a fall 2025 opening. Delaying until after the RNC would cause compounding delays said Plant.

Because of timing with the RNC, there will be no ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony until after the convention when a “going vertical party” is held.

After a zoning change was approved in 2022, the project was downsized from a two-venue complex to one larger venue in large because its costs spiked. The Common Council approved the modified proposal in late 2023, with Plant saying in 2023 the “inflation-adjusted” project still saw its costs grow from $50 million to $60 million after the changes. The cost today is $65 million he said. FPC made the switch after project costs on the original proposal were expected to reach $80 million, twice the original estimated cost of the Third Ward venue.

Frank’s majority owner is national concert promoter Live Nation, but the company has only a minority interest in Frank’s FPC Live arm said Plant. The project is privately financed and being developed on land owned by the Milwaukee Bucks and leased to an FPC affiliate.

FPC officials previously have said they intend the venue to host popular touring acts not large enough to sell out an arena, but capable of selling more tickets than many Milwaukee venues can accommodate. FPC has said its venue would provide a high-quality concert experience, targeted at standing crowds, that is underserved in Milwaukee.

Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, has engendered criticism for its alleged monopolistic practices. Other Milwaukee concert venues have been involved in opposing the venue. Individuals associated with the preservation and operation of Turner Hall, which includes a concert hall directly across the street from the FPC Live project, were the most vocal opponents in 2023.

As is common for large construction projects with neighboring historic buildings, sensors have been placed in Turner Hall to detect any impact.

The new venue is being developed on a 53,326-square-foot site addressed in city records as 1051 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. It is located directly south of Fiserv Forum, across the pedestrianized W. Highland Avenue corridor.

Officials with North Central Group publicly confirmed in 2023 that they are pursuing a hotel on the site, 430 W. State St., immediately south of the venue. The company previously developed The Trade hotel on the north side of Fiserv Forum.

A 12,497-square-foot site, targeted at a future commercial development, separates the future venue from N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue. An infill building is intended to eventually visibly shield the venue from the street.

A one-block private street will restore N. 5th Street to the city grid on the west side of the venue. The privately-owned and constructed street is intended to be used for loading the venue. It has not existed since the Bradley Center’s 1980s construction. The western portion of the Bradley Center site, 520 W. State St., remains available for future development.

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