Milwaukee Bucks Planning New Arena

The Milwaukee Bucks capped off an exciting season last week by pushing the Chicago Bulls to six games in their first round playoff matchup. And while the final buzzer may have sounded on the Bucks season, the excitement is just beginning in Milwaukee. On approximately 26 acres of prime downtown real estate, a new entertainment district is in the works.

The Bucks vision is of something much greater than just an arena. A robust entertainment live block will serve as an arena entry plaza and year-round communal gathering destination. Additional components currently seen in preliminary design renderings include retail offerings, bars, restaurants, and other entertainment options that augment a new arena. Also being discussed in rough terms is the potential for office and residential spaces.

“[The Bucks] are looking at the idea of live, work, and play to bring people to the city on a permanent basis,” explains Brad Clark, Senior Principal at Populous, who is leading the Milwaukee arena design team. “It’s not just for events.”

The New Normal

The 365-day, mixed-use entertainment district has become commonplace in recent years as an economic driver for revenue-aggressive organizations and municipalities to justify rising development costs, for both private and public sectors. Although designs are only conceptual at this point, the live block in Milwaukee is on trend with earlier precedents, including LA Live and the Kansas City Power & Light, two destinations that ALSD Conference attendees have observed in recent years.

“[The entertainment district] is a way to invigorate the urban landscape,” Clark says. “If you’re talking about uses that are not just event-based, and are bringing office workers downtown and people downtown to live, then all of a sudden, you’re creating a density and an environment that has the potential to be more successful than just a stand-alone arena inserted into a couple of blocks of downtown. There’s something very powerful about the large entry plaza becoming live block that is anchored by this big vision of the front door of the arena.”

Midwestern Charm

Specific design signatures are not yet known, but Populous and their design partners are working on ideas that will be unique to the Greater Wisconsin demographic and region.

“There’s recognition on our part that Milwaukee is a place that’s open and honest,” Clark says. “It has a quality to its people that feels very Midwestern.”

The dynamics driving the exterior design, as well as the interior of the building, reflect the architectural and industrial history of Milwaukee. There have been some signature structures built in Milwaukee over the years that Populous has found inspiration in.

“We don’t want to replicate the past,” says Clark. “But there is something inspirational about the way the craftsmen and immigrant influences went into putting those buildings together and creating a fabric and a texture for the city.”

Another design inspiration is the scenic beauty found in the Upper Midwest. And the new Milwaukee arena plans incorporate organic and nature-like influences, both in material and form, which will be used to express the exterior of the building as well as its interior volume, specifically in the clubs and premium spaces.

“Our goal in every one of these projects is to make them unique to their place and to make the fan experience something amazing,” summarizes Clark.

A Collaborative Effort

Populous is the architect of record and lead designer for the Milwaukee arena, but they are also working in collaboration with HNTB and Eppstein Uhen as consultants.

Eppstein Uhen brings great regional ties to the project and an understanding of the city. The local firm has taken a significant role in the conceptualization of the surrounding development.

HNTB is taking a major role in the structural engineering aspect of the project and the site/civil pieces. They will also participate with Populous on the architectural side.

Arena Financing

Conceptual renderings were unveiled at a press conference last month and are an important part of presenting the project to public officials. According to reports, the Bucks are proposing a 50-50 public-private partnership for a $500 million arena, with contributions of $150 million by Bucks ownership, $100 million by former Senator Herb Kohl, and the balance coming from state, county, and city governments.

At present, public funding has not been secured. The Bucks have had numerous meetings with state and local government officials in hopes of finalizing a deal, but negotiations are ongoing.

According to the Associated Press, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he thinks a deal to pay for the arena is “close” after he joined discussions for the first time last week.

Walker's initial financing idea, which he proposed back in January, was for the state to provide $220 million in bonding, with the city and county making up the remaining $30 million. But that plan lacks legislative support, and various financing mechanisms continue to be discussed, in hopes of finding an agreement that must not involve the creation of new taxes for state taxpayers.

Extra Points:

  • In addition to the arena, the Bucks will be building a new team training facility as part of the development.
  • The Bucks also unveiled a new team logo and colors last month.
  • As in the current arena, the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the new facility will be the home of Marquette University basketball.
  • The proposed site sits in the Park East corridor, outlined by Fourth Street, Sixth Street, State Street, and McKinley Avenue, and connected with active development on each side.
  • The overall district could cost upwards of $1 billion, $500 million for the arena and $500 million for the adjacent development.
  • The current goal is to have the new arena in place in time for the start of the 2017-2018 NBA season.