PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Olson
128 N. Jackson Street faces you directly as you take that street south from Downtown. There it is: A new two-story dark stone and glass building standing where the street curves onto Corcoran Street. To the east, past the Italian Community Center parking lot, are the Summerfest grounds and the lake; to the west, the Third Ward’s galleries, theaters and cafes. Come closer and you’ll see the words on the handsome facade: Milwaukee Ballet Baumgartner Center for Dance. The Grand Opening on Sept. 4 coincides with the start of the company’s 50th season. The new building stands as a mark of gratitude to the city and an act of faith in its future.
“It’s not a shrine,” the Ballet’s Artistic Director Michael Pink says as we sit on easily moveable cushioned stools in the Herzfeld Atrium, enjoying the sun and the view of the street through the sweeping all-glass wall that wraps around the front of the building. “We didn’t want to build something so architecturally over-the-top that it upstaged the spirit and the movement and the people inside. That’s what this spectacular window does. It gives you a way into the building so the people are the actual stars. I want people to come in and understand that this is our school, this is our pre-professional company, this is where the heartbeat of our organization is, and there are things happening in here that don’t happen on the stage.”
The two-story tall atrium features a dramatic staircase leading to a wide wrap-around upper balcony. A retractable glass wall separates the lower atrium from an expansive studio with a multi-purpose dance floor meant for community use. Open that wall and the entire street-side interior becomes a potential performance or event space. “We want people to come and explore and help us find ways to use the building,” Pink says as he shows me around.
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There’s a public elevator to the second floor and a wheelchair-accessible upper entrance to a 175-seat performance studio designed by the company’s nationally celebrated lighting designer, David Grill. There’s a ground level entrance, too, and both have light locks so latecomers won’t bring in unwanted light. The audience’s sightlines are excellent. The sound and lighting equipment are state of the art. “David is a genius when it comes to understanding the experience for the performers and for the audience,” Pink says, adding “You can light a major show in here and have it ready to take to the Marcus Center.”
I wondered what shows would appear in this excellent theater. “The school can do recital programming,” Pink answers. “Milwaukee Ballet Two [the pre-professional company] will do all of its performances here. And I’m hoping other groups will inquire and we’ll find out together how we can best use the space. We have to tailor is so it’s affordable.” The site includes a parking lot. Some street parking in the neighborhood is free all day.
There are five additional dance studios for classes or rehearsals, all of them spacious, high-ceilinged rooms with natural light through tall asymmetrical windows. There’s a sunny library and study area for school kids. The children’s restrooms have lockers and showers. There are also public restrooms with lockers and showers for, say, adult members of a Zumba class.
There’s space for relaxing, for fixing lunch, for physical training and therapy. There’s a little boutique of Ballet merchandise. Fitting rooms, costume, scenery, storage and office areas, everything’s been carefully designed to serve for many decades. The entire building is energy efficient with LED lighting, free of plastic and wired for paperless communication. “We tried to keep everything simple but not bring old technologies,” Pink says. “Hopefully, anyone who’s had any association with the company will want to come back just to see it. People should be thinking, my goodness, look what the Ballet has done!”
He’s quick to credit the vision of lead architect Jim Shields of HGA; Catalyst Construction of Milwaukee, who stayed on time and budget; Electronic Theatre Controls of Madison for up-do-date knowledge; Harlequin Dance Floors, the international leader in dance floor safety. “And it’s always worth reminding everybody,” he says, “that Donna and Donald, who were with me all the way along on this journey, provided the handsome lead gift.” All the rest followed.
“I think the building really has become the way to celebrate fifty years of trials and tribulations, highs, lows, the memories built in this city through the Ballet,” he continues. “I’m hoping that by starting the season with Coppélia, the first production the company did fifty years ago, we are somehow tying it back to the beginning. I hope people will come and look at what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, what the future can hold and how responsible we are for it.”
