Photo via Visit Milwaukee
Miller High Life Theatre
Miller High Life Theatre
The Miller High Life theater is a 4,000-seat performance space operated by the Pabst Theater Group, an independent Milwaukee-based entertainment organization that books and promotes more than 800 events annually. In addition to the Miller, events are hosted in the Vivarium (capacity 450), Turner Hall Ballroom (capacity 1,000), Pabst theater (1,300 seats) and Riverside theater (2,400 seats).
“If the Miller is torn down, the Riverside would then be the highest capacity seated venue in town,” said Gary Witt, CEO and co-owner of the Pabst Theater Group. “Artists like David Byrne, Cirque de Soleil, Jerry Seinfeld, Dancing with the Stars, NIkki Glaser, Earth, Wind and Fire, Ringo Starr, Steve Martin and anyone capable of selling more than 2,400 tickets would likely skip the market.”
Hunden Partners, consultants in real estate, tourism, and economic development in the country’s largest market, submitted a proposal to raze the 117-year-old theater. On the site would be a luxury hotel to drive business to the nearby Baird convention center. A multi-million dollar expansion in 2024 increased the Baird center’s convention capabilities to 52 meeting rooms, 300,000 square feet of exhibition space, and a rooftop ballroom. But the Hunden survey indicated that Milwaukee is losing nearly 20% of potential convention revenue annually due to a lack of quality hotel rooms in proximity to the Baird Center.
The proposed luxury hotel on the Miller theater site might also drive business into a new live entertainment venue across the street planned by the concert promotion organization Live Nation. The 4,500-seat theater is budgeted at upwards of $70 million with the naming rights awarded to Landmark Credit Union. Live Nation is an international firm that oversees ticket sales for theaters they own and operate. In addition, a subsidiary company of Live Nation manages the careers of music artists.
“This is not a done deal. The feedback has been very negative,” said Witt. "The Hunden study has been shown to be flawed, and it will be taxpayers on the hook. The president of the Wisconsin Center District has been called into question for his poor judgement.”
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