Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra sets $139 million fundraising goal for Grand Theatre project

The downtown Warner Grand Theatre conversion into the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's future concert hall has a new fundraising goal — and a ceremonial groundbreaking date.

The symphony's new goal is $139 million, compared with the previously announced goal of $120 million, said Mark Niehaus, president and executive director.

The orchestra so far has raised $106 million, he said.

The higher fundraising target in part reflects a cost increase for the new concert hall. 

That tab is now $89 million, compared with the initial $80 million estimate, Niehaus said.

The construction costs have risen because the project's scope is larger than initially planned, he said.

Plan involves demolition, historic preservation

The development's main focus is converting the former cinema, 212 W. Wisconsin Ave., into a new rehearsal and performance hall by fall 2020. 

That includes a glassy, two-story lobby addition to the historic theater at the site of the former Kiku restaurant, 202 W. Wisconsin Ave., which will be demolished.

Also, the theater will be expanded to the east, onto North 2nd Street, to accommodate a bigger stage.

And it will be expanded north to provide additional space for dressing rooms, loading docks and other back-of-house uses. That three-story annex will be on what are now parking lots the orchestra recently bought.

But the symphony project also features converting three floors from the 12-story office building next to the theater into a private Founder's Room for symphony patrons, warm-up space for the symphony chorus, and the orchestra and chorus sheet music library.

Also, two more floors will be converted into the orchestra's administrative offices, now at 1101 N. Market St., Niehaus said. 

The remaining floors will be set aside for future uses or tenants that haven't yet been determined.

Initially, the orchestra was going to renovate the office building in a future phase. 

Instead, that work will be done now in part to better take advantage of federal and state historic preservation tax credits that are helping finance the project, Niehaus said.

The sale of those credits will raise around $17 million for the conversion work. In return, the project must follow National Park Service design and construction standards for preserving historic buildings.

Also, while orchestra players' dressing rooms and other operations can be put in the basement, an underground steam tunnel blocks any attempt to dig below the basement.

"As the design evolved, the need for the (office) tower became more apparent," Niehaus said.

Funds needed in addition to project cost

Along with the $89 million development cost, the symphony is raising money to retire its pension debt, strengthen its endowment and cover its growing operating deficit, he said.

Those items account for the additional $50 million being raised by the orchestra.

That larger tab is rising in part because the symphony will be moving to its new concert hall from the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts one year later than initially planned, Niehaus said.

The symphony runs an operating deficit at the Marcus Center mainly because the orchestra's performance schedule must compete with other events. Those include the Broadway at the Marcus Center series and performances by Milwaukee Ballet and Florentine Opera.

In its new performance hall, the orchestra will play more dates and have more favorable dates, including holiday season slots. It will be able to schedule more high-profile guest artists and earn rental revenue by hosting other concerts. 

The new facility also will have improved acoustics for symphony concerts, as well as a better seat layout and number of seats (1,750 compared with 2,300 at the Marcus Center).

Those factors will help the orchestra break even once it moves to its new home, Niehaus said.

Naming rights for sale

The work to create the new facility has already started, with the old cinema seats removed, preparation work done for demolishing the former Kiku restaurant building and other steps.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be at 11 a.m. June 21, with the major renovations beginning soon after, Niehaus said.

Meanwhile, the fundraising is ongoing.

That includes seeking naming right sponsors, both for various sections of the development as well as the main performance center.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.