Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a “renaissance” or a “reinvention.” Or maybe it’s a “reboot” or a “reimagining,” like that crappy Tim Burton version of Planet Of The Apes. However you want to define it, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee is currently building a lot of new shit.
• If you’ve been paying attention to our New Shit roundups—and/or you’ve walked down W. Wisconsin Avenue lately—you know that construction is in full swing on the new home of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The building, 214 W. Wisconsin Ave., is the former home of the Warner Grand Theater and is currently being remodeled and rehabbed for a fall opening. Oh, and it now has a name: the Bradley Symphony Center.
Yep, there’s gonna be a new Bradley Center in Downtown Milwaukee. Weird! The Milwaukee Business Journal explains:
David and Julia Uihlein, Lynde Uihlein and the [Lynde and Harry Bradley] foundation gave a combined $52 million to the estimated $90 million theater restoration project. David and Lynde are grandchildren of Harry and Peg Bradley.
“My grandparents believed deeply in the importance of a robust civil society and the critical role cultural institutions like the MSO have in building vibrant communities,” David Uihlein said. “As generations pass from one to the next, we must continue to nurture these institutions as they connect us to the past and inspire us to imagine the future.”
The first live performances at the newly minted Bradley Symphony Center will be in late September “in conjunction with Historic Milwaukee Inc.’s Doors Open Milwaukee event.” [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Want a peek inside the under-construction Bradley Symphony Center? Urban Milwaukee has pictures. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Milwaukee will receive $23.3 million in funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation—and kick in its own $1.4 million—to reconstruct National Avenue from 1st Street to 39th Street. The big project won’t begin until 2026. [FOX 6]
• A group of unnamed developers wants to build a seven-story, 90-unit apartment complex on the corner of E. North Avenue and N. Summit Avenue on the city’s east side. Neighbors, however, aren’t enthused. [Urban Milwaukee]
• You know that empty space underneath I-794, just across the street from the Milwaukee Public Market? Starting this summer, the space will play host to music performances “and other activities.” A temporary stage will be added to ensure Total Activation. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Have you ever wanted $1.8 million in streetscaping improvements in Cathedral Square Park? Well, you’re in luck, because that’s just what’s coming to the area in the next few years (pending Common Council approval). The project includes things like new curbs, new lighting, new trees, and new trash containers. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Have you ever wanted a $31 million agricultural product export facility in Port Milwaukee? Well, you’re in luck, because that’s just what’s coming to the area in the next few years. Construction is expected to begin in August 2021, with completion penciled in for June 2023. [Milwaukee Business Journal]