New Life To Old

Dec 1, 2004 12:00 PM

From the outside, the new Milwaukee Theater still looks a lot like the Milwaukee Auditorium, from which it was reborn. Inside, however, the transformation is more dramatic, changing what was an older but much-used hall into a beautiful 4,102-seat theater that is a fitting venue for touring Broadway shows.

Ensuring that the renovated structure meets the latest life safety codes and ADA accessibility guidelines was just one of the practical considerations. The challenge throughout the $41.9 million project was to upgrade the facility's functionality without losing sight of its history.

History transformed

The old Auditorium opened in 1909 and hosted concerts by such renowned performers as Enrico Caruso and John Philip Sousa. Bruce Hall, the major space in the Auditorium, was an oval arena with a flat floor, and its sightlines were lacking. When Milwaukee's new Midwest Airlines Center was built nearby, there was even talk of tearing the building down.

Instead, a bold renovation plan retained much of the facility's historical character while transforming it into a large yet surprisingly cozy theater venue that complements the other entertainment facilities owned and operated by the Wisconsin Center District. Retained are the Romanesque arches that lined the old auditorium, but now they enhance the Milwaukee Theater's steeply raked house that gives each seat a clear view of the new proscenium stage. An arena-style balcony that ran around the entire oval was removed and replaced with a conventional tiered balcony that sweeps down from a new back wall.

Accessibility updated

The building's capacity and historical structure created a combination of accessibility and access control issues for the Milwaukee Theater. Among them were providing sufficient numbers of code-compliant doors for normal and emergency crowd egress, updating accessibility to meet ADA guidelines and maintaining security — especially for back-of-house areas.

“We wanted to retain some of the historical values and legacies, but we had to contend with problems like steps going up to the main entrance,” says Robert F. Seefeld, director of building services for the Wisconsin Center District. “Now we have all flat-surface access, with railings and ramps that meet codes.”

One pair of main entry doors now include LCN Auto-Equalizer power operators on both inner and outer doors to assist people with disabilities — operated by individual pushbuttons. Other pairs of doors in the main entry feature Von Duprin 99 Series exit devices to provide safe egress.

The new back wall spans one end of the hall's old oval area to define the theater itself and creates a vast semicircular lobby. While the lobby and its dome appear to be a full circle beyond the wall, the effect is achieved with mirrors.

Doors throughout the areas surrounding the theater serve to separate the various other function areas as needed. They are equipped with exit devices as required by building and life safety codes to provide safe egress paths. Doors that must be closed and latched in case of fire are equipped with LCN Sentronic electric closer/holders that release and enable the door to close when the alarm system is activated and current is interrupted.

In the backstage loading area, some doors are equipped with Von Duprin INPact recessed exit devices, which are designed to withstand heavy traffic and cart damage. Other doors, such as those leading to a stairwell, incorporate 99 Series vertical rod exit devices and also serve as an emergency egress path.

Doors leading to secured areas are protected by proximity card readers, which allow authorized individuals to gain access. The card readers operate electrified Von Duprin 99EL exit devices.

FOR THE RECORD…

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