Bradley Symphony Center

212 W. Wisconsin Avenue,
Milwaukee, WI 53203

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Bradley Symphony Center (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Marcus Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.

Architects: George W. Leslie Rapp

Firms: Rapp & Rapp

Functions: Concerts, Live Music Venue, Live Performances, Movies (Classic), Symphony

Styles: Art Deco, French Renaissance

Previous Names: Warner Grand Theatre, Center Cinemas 1 & 2, Grand Cinemas 1 & 2, Grand Warner Theatre

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 414.291.7605
Manager: 414.291.6010

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Grand Theatre

When the memorable 1,200-seat Butterfly Theatre (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures) of 1911 was demolished in 1930 along with two other buildings, it was to make way for what would become the fanciest theatre in Milwaukee and one of the most beautiful in the nation.

The Warner Brothers chain was looking for a first class opening in the city and spent $2.5 million to build this 2,431-seat movie palace which opened May 1, 1931 with Joe E. Brown in “Sit Tight”. It is part of a 12-story office building veneered in marble and bronze spandrels and ornamented throughout in monel silver metal in Art Deco style design. The lobby is a three story high dazzler in towering etched mirrors that were framed in deep maroon draperies with fringeless tassels (drops) in silver silk and fringe.

An overview from the balcony grande staircase landing originally held a baby grand piano and a duet of violins to entertain the waiting throng on the patterned terrazzo floor below (fully carpeted not long after opening). This almost pure Art Deco style space is illuminated by two giant chandeliers of concentric sheaths of etched glass, with matching five-foot-tall sconces on the marbled piers under the silver-leafed plaster of the geometrically moulded ceiling.

On entering the auditorium one sees a vista in Louis XIV garnished with some lines and details from the Art Deco French. This room is not the reserved silver and maroon of the lobby, but an exuberant gold and wine with accents in antique verde and teal. Both side walls have three murals “after Fragonard” with scenes of courtly capers and above each is a gilded sunburst patterned grille back lighted by hidden cove lights above, in three colors.

Carrying the eye downward, the flanking organ screens are unusual in being free-standing arches within an arched bay that is also topped with another lighted grille, and the back of the archway is covered in draped velvets and a glittered scrim adorned with jewelled star shapes in aluminum.

Centering the bottom of the arch is a five-foot tall golden amphora on pedestal with a back lit stained glass mural on its front of the Muses at play. Just as the top rear of the archway is graced with a stylized sunburst (Louis the XIV was the ‘Sun King’ and the sunburst motif was a signature of architects Rapp & Rapp) in gold leafed stylized rays, the chandeliers fronting the screens are also a stylized sunburst with etched glass ‘rays’ bejewelled with stained glass roundels, even though the wall sconces were hybrid designs having etched glass panels fronted by chains of glass beads with pendeloques.

The proscenium arch took up that entire wall, but the rectangular arch was relieved by clever enrichments in a central cartouche flanked by cornucopias and volutes and even a mask or two to break up the gilded lines. Half the arch was filled by the enormous Grand Drapery, a combination of five swags of maroon velour fringed in gold upon a lambrequin of crushed honey velvet, the whole adorned with four, eight-foot-tall pendants of padded silver silk fronted with a pattern of small squares of mirrors set into tiny brass frames, and this in addition to 15, 2-foot-long tassels and 18 similar fringeless drops of three moulds each.

When the grilled dome above and the proscenium cove lights turned on with the footlights, this all took on a wonderful glow, as the 3 manual, 28 rank Kimball theatre pipe organ rose upon its lift to begin the overture. With only an 18-foot-deep stage, the theatre was not really designed for stage shows, but mostly for film.

The blueprints show that provision was made for a motorized orchestra pit elevator, but along with other amenities, it was omitted as a cost conservation as the Great Depression made itself felt.

They did find money, however, for a display fountain in the basement lounge
as well as on the next three levels above. The foregoing is a description of the former Warner at opening and is not entirely reflective of the state of affairs as of 2002.

The Kimball organ was removed from the Warner Grand Theatre in 1973 when the theatre was split into two and became the Center Cinemas 1 & 2. In 1991 the Kimball organ was installed into Milwaukee’s Oriental Theatre. In 1982 the Center 1 & 2 was renamed the Grand Cinemas 1 & 2 (in honor of the Grand Avenue Mall then opening across the street) until it closed in 1995.

Acoustic tests have declared the undivided theatre to be excellent, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra was encouraged to purchase. In December, 2017, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra acquired the Grand Warner Theatre for its new performance center. Having raised $93.5 million of a $120 million campaign to buy, design and renovate the theatre and fund an endowment for the orchestra. Steve & Greg Marcus of the Marcus Corporation donated their ownership of the Grand Warner Theatre to the campaign. In May 2020 a replica of the original huge Warner Grand vertical sign was installed on the façade of the building. Local architectural firm Kahler Slater were in charge of the restoration. The stage house was expanded with the depth of the stage increased from 18ft to 35ft when the original Terra Cotta rear wall of the stage was moved. An additional lobby was built including a glass pavilion with a center staircase that was inspired by the shape of a harp and crowned by a skylight. It reopened as the 1,750-seat Bradley Symphony Center in fall of 2021.

Contributed by Jim Rankin

Recent comments (view all 131 comments)

LouRugani
LouRugani on December 29, 2017 at 7:04 pm

It’s official. Today the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra revealed it has acquired the Warner Grand theatre building for its new performance center to open in fall of 2020, saying it’ll allow “better long-term financial, operational and creative success.” The MSO has raised $93.5 million of a $120 million campaign to buy, design and renovate the theatre and fund an endowment for the orchestra. Steve and Greg Marcus and The Marcus Corporation donated their ownership of the Warner Grand Theatre to the campaign, the State of Wisconsin granted over $8 million in historic tax credits, and it just received conditional approval for federal historic tax credits.

Citing improving attendance and thanking donors, president/executive director of the MSO Mark Niehaus said “Closing on the acquisition of the Warner Grand Theater is a significant step in both our artistic and financial future.” Owning its venue and being able to rent space within is expected to increase annual revenue by as much as 60 percent and allow easier bookings of guest performers and conductors who usually require lengthy advance notice.

Besides restoration, there’ll be community education spaces, parking options, curbside dropoff/pickup options and onsite catering.

Restoring and adapting the Warner Grand Theatre was said to be 50 to 66 percent less expensive than comparable new construction venue projects across the country.

LouRugani
LouRugani on April 30, 2018 at 3:40 pm

The Milwaukee Symphony acquired the GRAND WARNER 13-story building in December to convert it into its new rehearsal and performance space and planning to finance the project in part with $17 million in federal and state tax credits, says a recent Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. report. MSO has also secured $21 million in private contributions with $48.7 million in private contributions pending. So far, $93.5 million has been raised for the $120 million restoration campaign for the project and for an endowment for the symphony. Plans also call for expansion to the north to provide space for dressing rooms, loading docks and other uses. For this, the MSO plans to buy part of 215 W. Wells St. and 735 N. 2nd St. from MVP Milwaukee Wells, LLC, a Nevada-based parking lot operator. That sale has been approved by the Redevelopment Authority and will be considered by the Common Council in May. The grand reopening of the GRAND WARNER (to be called the Milwaukee Symphony Center) is expected for the fall of 2020.

LouRugani
LouRugani on April 11, 2019 at 4:00 pm

This week the Rotary Club of Milwaukee gifted a $50,000 grant to the Warner Grand Theater. Work continues to progress on schedule, with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra aiming to complete transforming the theatre into the “Milwaukee Symphony Center” along with the building’s 12-story office tower. Initially, a $120 million fundraising target was set, but last year that was increased to $139 million in mid-2018 to accommodate the tower renovation as well as building up the orchestra’s endowment. The Rotary Club grant will name two built-in wall fountains in the theatre. Its president said “Rotary Club of Milwaukee is delighted to support MSO’s Grand Theater project. The project provides a beautiful home and community platform for the symphony, affirms Milwaukee’s commitment to the arts, and brings a grand old building back to life revitalizing downtown.”

The MSO plans to host its first concert there in September 2020, but the Rotary Club is hoping to make the theatre available for the July 13-16 Democratic National Convention activities.

70mmbobbyj
70mmbobbyj on August 16, 2019 at 7:56 am

As part of the renovation work, the rear wall of the fly tower all 625 tons was successfully moved back about 35 ft. There is a time lapse video online showing the move.

LouRugani
LouRugani on August 17, 2019 at 6:47 am

The 86-by-100-foot rear stage wall was shifted to the east by 35 feet into Second Street to accommodate a larger stage. That was expected to take five hours, but the construction schedule allows for up to three days, said Cory Henschel, project executive. International Chimney Corp. and Expert House Movers were subcontracted for the wall move. Construction is on schedule, with completion expected in summer 2020. The relocation of the 650-ton wall with its decorative terracotta exterior was required by the National Parks Service for the project to receive historic tax credits. Four linked hydraulic rams were used. C.D. Smith Construction Inc. is the general contractor; Kahler Slater is the architect. International Chimney Corp. and Expert House Movers were subcontracted for the wall move. Work is on schedule, with completion expected for September 2020. Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra raised $116 million to date toward its $139 million goal including building up its endowment.

LouRugani
LouRugani on October 16, 2019 at 8:59 pm

The theatre will be renamed the Milwaukee Symphony Center. The orchestra raised another $4 million over the past two months toward the $139 million campaign goal for its Warner Grand Theatre restoration project. The MSO today announced the campaign has brought in over $120 million to fund the project. Now, the MSO is beginning the final phase as it seeks to raise the last $19 million. Lead donations have come from Donna and Donald Baumgartner, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Murph and John Burke, Bobbi and Jim Caraway, Franklyn and Barbara Esenberg, Herzfeld Foundation, George and Donna Kaiser, The Estate of Jane Kaiser, Donald and JoAnne Krause, Billie Kubly, Arthur and Nancy Laskin, Sheldon and Marianne Lubar, The Marcus Corp., The Marcus Corp. Foundation, Mary Vandenberg and Keith Mardak, Rite-Hite Foundation, Michael and Jeanne Schmitz, Bud and Sue Selig, The Estate of Barbara Abert Tooman, David and Julia Uihlein and We Energies Foundation. Work is on schedule, with completion expected for September 2020. The initial $120 million fundraising goal was later raised to $139 million to include the cost of renovating the office tower. The campaign funds will also build up the organization’s endowment. Donors can sponsor a seat for gifts of $2,500 to $10,000 for 15-year naming rights.

LouRugani
LouRugani on December 25, 2019 at 12:36 am

The orchestra floor will have two aisles that divide the seating in thirds to avoid long distances to the aisles. Marcus Corporation, which owned the theatre until 2017, is being lauded for caring for the historic fixtures and maintaining and heating the theatre over the 20-plus years that it stood empty. While scrupulously restoring the Warner Grand Theatre, catering kitchens, party rooms, HVAC equipment, loading docks, and new lavatories are being added. On the balcony level, the original lavatories will be restored with their green, black and lavender tile … actually mandatory to earn historic-preservation tax credits to support the $90 million project. (The symphony doesn’t pay taxes but it can sell the tax credits to other developers.) Conrad Schmitt artisans are redoing the original paint, plaster, metal and other decorative surfaces and an acoustical firm comes in at least once a month to check progress. The auditorium’s very rear space below the balcony will become a bar and a control booth, because acoustic engineers discovered it to be a “bass trap” with the worst sound in the house.

LouRugani
LouRugani on February 14, 2020 at 11:28 pm

The Warner Grand Theatre will bear the name of late Allen-Bradley co-founder Harry Bradley and Peg Bradley. The Bradley family gave a combined $52 million to the MSO’s $139 million project. Donations came from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, David and Julia Uihlein, and Lynde Uihlein (the grandchildren of Harry and Peg Bradley and the children of philanthropist Jane Bradley Pettit). The Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation also made a significant gift to the project. The 1,650-seat auditorium will be named Allen-Bradley Hall to honor of the builders of the Allen-Bradley Company, founded in 1903 by Lynde and Harry Bradley. David and Julia Uihlein led the campaign which has raised over $128 million to date. The theatre is scheduled to open in the fall.

LouRugani
LouRugani on May 17, 2020 at 8:44 pm

https://www.newsbreakapp.com/n/0P4olLc3?s=a99&pd=03KtvuNZ

LouRugani
LouRugani on July 17, 2020 at 7:12 pm

The new marquee has been installed, a recreation of the original, and awaits power. Poblocki Sign Company spokesman Blair Benes said “Members of our team spent time in the city archives to find as many old black and white photos of the original theater as possible. That, in conjunction with Kahler Slater, the architect, and MacRostie Historic Advisors we were able to pool our resources and determine as accurately as possible things like color, bulb style and spacing, the pattern of the stain glass element” but with LED technology and digital displays. Once power is connected, a “flipping of the switch” event is planned to as a formal celebration of the new 13-foot-tall 32-foot-wide marquee and 52-foot-tall 11-foot-wide 1,200-bulb blade sign.

Benes credited dozens of Poblocki workers involved in the three-month fabrication and roughly three weeks of on-site prep work. “The golden crown was hand-spray applied painted to achieve the gradient you see at the top. Due to all of the detailed scroll and channel work these displays spent more time in prep and taping work than actually in the paint booths.”

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