National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks release renderings of new arena by Populous.
With the release of renderings of a new arena and development plan, the ownership of the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks is taking steps toward not only creating a new look for the city, but also saving basketball in Milwaukee.
While the Bucks, one of the NBA’s oldest franchises, still have a way to go before breaking ground, the team has released preliminary renderings of a master plan that will include a new multipurpose arena. Pressure is on the team to complete the project by 2017 or, as part of the sale agreement to new owners Wesley Edens and Mark Lasry, risk having the NBA take over the team.
The Bucks selected Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous to lead the design team, which will aim to transform a 30-acre area of underdeveloped land into an entertainment district.
Edens, Lasry and their lobbyists still must convince state legislators to approve a financing plan by this summer in order to break ground on a 700,000-square-foot, 17,000-seat arena by fall and have it ready for basketball by 2017.
At a press conference to reveal the renderings, Bucks’ President Peter Feigin acknowledged the release of the renderings as part of the process to convince the state and local government to sign off.
"The optics become reality,” Feigin said. “I think it's very important to put a visual with what the concept is. We've had great support from Madison, we've had great support from the county, great support from the city, but this is one of the steps that bring us much closer to actually having a plan, an agreeable next step."
The Bucks’ new owners bought the team last April and have promised to contribute $150 million toward the new arena. Former owner and ex-U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl has promised $100 million of his own money to help replace the 26-year-old BMO Harris Bradley Center and Gov. Scott Walker has also proposed Wisconsin add $220 million in bonds toward building the arena.
Designers were tasked with presenting ownership’s vision of an arena as part of a $1-billion project that will not only serve as the Bucks’ new home, but also act as an entertainment district, linking to other attractions such as the Milwaukee waterfront and the Wisconsin Center.
“This area is about creating a place that is ‘live, work and play,’” Populous Senior Designer Brad Clark said. “Just the building as a destination downtown is one thing, but if you have people living there, having people come down to work and having parking inventory that is available in the day and needed at night, you can create a synergy that is awesome.”
One of the main selling points the Bucks’ ownership is pitching to decision makers is that the project would positively impact the community with the addition of retail stores as well as housing and office buildings - a goal that could take a decade to complete.
With that in mind, one of Populous’ design directives was to create a connection between the outside and the Bucks’ product inside.
“We are all about trying to transform what the venue experience is,” Clark said. “It is no longer the 1980s when the Bradley Center was built. It is not a big, solid insular building that is only about what is happening on the court or on the ice. It is more about what is happening in the district. We are turning the building inside out to not only see what’s happening inside, but also allowing them to create a connection back to the city.”
Clark said the design team envisions having the capability to close down the street to create a plaza area around the arena.
Details of the inside of the arena are still yet to be completed, but the outer design, Clark said, is influenced by the turn-of-the-century architecture that is present around the city as well as the state’s connection to nature with its forestry and location next to the Great Lakes.
Another element that Populous and local designers HNTB and Eppstein Uhen tried to grasp is the direction of the team. The Bucks are considered a club on the rise. They clinched a playoff position this season after winning just 15 of 82 games last year. The team also hired former NBA superstar Jason Kidd as their head coach, which garnered interest from basketball fans nationwide.
“The way they are transforming the notion of who they are – they have an exciting young team, ownership that is progressive and they are looking to open the franchise up to the community and greater country as to their place in the NBA,” Clark said. “All this is about remaking themselves. We hope what we’re imagining is commensurate with what they’re building on the floor.”
While the Bucks’ chances of seeing their vision of a highly-competitive basketball team on a brand new floor depend on an agreement within a tight window, there is still time for the Bucks, city and state to work out a deal and set an opening date of 2017.
"If we went on best-laid plans and we had a state budget ratified latest June 30th, then we'd look to get a shovel in the ground by early fall. That's our reality of how do we accelerate," Feigin said.
Interviewed for this story: Brad Clark (816) 221-1500; Peter Feigin (414) 227-0500