Bradley Symphony Center
212 W. Wisconsin Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53203
212 W. Wisconsin Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53203
17 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 131 comments
Referring back to the Nov 28, 2007 photoset: This appears to not have been the worst twinning in the world. It seems like the screens were not on strange angles, and that the two rooms created were at least somewhat nicely proportioned. So many of these projects were complete hack jobs, where you almost felt like your cousin had set up the home movie screen.
Correction, World Series was won by Braves in 1957, not 1958.
Here is a 1958 photo from Life Magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/6kqk5q
I understand that one recording was done on the Warner Kimball prior to its removal. Can anyone furnish me witht he title of the LP and the artist? Thanks!
Its kind of funny, when I managed for Marcus, we had screenings in the basement theatre screening room here. I thought that was pretty cool at the time. I don’t even remember going inside this theatre though. I wonder if I did? The pictures make it appear very grand. Due to its size, parking issues, etc, I doubt it will ever be a movie theatre again. How sad, its beautiful.
Interesting photoset showing what the Warner looked like before twinning was removed:
http://www.pbase.com/redfishpaw/warner
Very interesting event happened a couple weeks ago!
As I was walking to my apartment from the Amtrak station, I noticed a couple of guys hauling theater chairs out the back of the building and throwing them in a dumpster. I inquired what was going on and the young man informed me that a restoration was in progress, with the eventual owner being as yet undetermined.
Something is happening in there! Does anybody have any more information?
See and compare; 1930 & 1945 photos of the OKC Warner Bros. Tower & Midwest Theater can be viewed by typing in “theater” or “Midwest”, then hit search -
View link
Office towers for both Milwaukee’s Warner Theatre and Oklahoma City’s Midwest Theatre (1930-1975) were identical in layout. Both theatres were members of Warner Bros. Theatre chain. Both had three story lobbies, with curved mezzanine balconies that overlooked the main floor. Both had industry screening rooms in the basement area.
While the Warner was a superb Rapp & Rapp Art Deco masterpiece, John Eberson designed the OKC Midwest Theatre interior as a romantic Spanish Renaissance atmospheric.
Thanks for posting the photos of The Warner. I had wondered what it looked like with the dividing floor removed, I am so glad that the twinning floor was removed. I worked in the office building in the 90’s (The Centre) for 6 years so I did visit the theater on occasion and photographed it the week it closed. I wish I could have attended that event in June 2007 to see what it looks like today. It is sooooooo sad that this is a text based only website, it would be nice to see the those photos maintained here for furture reference.
When I see Warner/Grand appear on Comments, I know that it is THIS theater and none other, so the current label is quite functional!
The convention (which I dislike) is generally to list the most recent operating name with former names listed under aliases. So it should actually be listed as Grand Cinemas.
Well, the front of the balcony was destroyed, but other damage is fairly minor.
In response to Don, from what I understand the City would give permission to expand the stage into the street which would provide a larger stage and dressing rooms for the Symphony. The Symphony must come up with the money for this project which they don’t currently have. It would be nice if the City would give the Symphony a low interest loan for this project making it easier to pay back. The Warner is a beautiful Art Deco Theatre and I hope it is restored and saved.brucec
It’s nice that none of the ornamentation was destroyed during the twinning process.
Yes.
So, the flooring from the balcony to the screen was removed. Right?
To clarify: the partitions were removed so that the Symphony could do acoustic tests, which apparently did show that the acoustics were quite good.
The upper theatre was not removed. The wall surrounding and closing off the balcony from the main auditorium making an upstairs theater was removed. A few years ago consideration was given to making the Warner/Grand into the home for the Milwaukee Symphony. But after much discussion that plan was abandoned because the theater was built as a film house and has no depth to the stage or any dressing rooms. The back wall of the shallow stage faces 2nd Street making any enlargement of the stage a problem.
When did they remove the upper theatre? I saw The 7th Sign in the upstairs theatre in the 90s and I went to the premiere of Fair Game in the lower.
Recent photos of this theatre are HERE
Lost Memory: Your April 2, 2006 photo shows the marquee today which is so much different and NOT like the original marquee that should have been left in place!
What a marquee photo! Thanks…that’s the way all of the former Warner theatres should look with that marquee style. If you visit the Warner/Erie PA link, you’ll see that very marquee style.
Bill, the article you mentioned can be found online at the Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.
Did the Warner (or another Warner Brothers theater) suffer a fire in 1939— in very late April or maybe May? Three different film historians claim that some German-Americans in Milwaukee protested the screening of Warner Brothers' “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” (starring Edward G. Robinson) by burning down `the' Warner Brothers theater in Milwaukee, although Cinema Treasures lists 7 Warner theaters in Milwaukee. These claims, made in three different articles and books, are limited to one sentence each. No primary sources are cited. Appreciate any facts (or theories) any of you might have. I’m not in Milwaukee, but if anyone there is curious and has access to a local library, here’s an article that might have some info: “Milwaukee’s German-American Community and the Nazi Challenge of the 1930’s.” by Dieter Berninger in Wisconsin Magazine of History, 71:2(1987-88): pages 118-142.
Thanks, Bill S