“The downtown Warner Grand Theatre conversion into the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s future concert hall has a new fundraising goal … $139 million, compared with the previously announced goal of $120 million,” writes Tom Daykin in Thursday’s (6/7) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The orchestra so far has raised $106 million…. The higher fundraising target in part reflects a cost increase for the new concert hall…. The development’s main focus is converting the former cinema … into a new rehearsal and performance hall by fall 2020.… 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…. 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…. In return, the project must follow National Park Service design and construction standards for preserving historic buildings…. The [ceremonial] groundbreaking ceremony will be at 11 a.m. June 21, with the major renovations beginning soon after.”
Posted June 11, 2018
