These spaces are linked by a new 13,500-square-foot entry pavilion, which partially replaces an earlier version by SOM, of which 20,000 square feet remain for restrooms and back-of-house functions. The new building includes appropriately dramatic lobbies spread over three floors, which connect seamlessly to the performance venues and to a series of bars and lounges. What might otherwise have been just circulation is instead a capacious promenade. The interior materials are basic: painted drywall and polished concrete with a stair of oak and blackened steel. But in juxtaposition to the sumptuous classical details of what had been the exterior brick wall of the powerhouse, the effect is rich and refined.

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The Lubar Lounge on the third floor of the Associated Bank Theater Center (1); Balcony view from the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater in the Associated Bank Theater Center (2). Photos © Peter McCullough

The Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, newly renamed after local philanthropists, was originally designed by local firm Beckley/Myers and opened in 1987. It was then considered state-of-the-art, but the demands of theatrical production and the expectations of audiences have evolved. EUA’s alterations meet the challenges of both. The entry pavilion’s grand stair and oversized elevator now offer convenient access on three levels. The seating bowl was demolished and reconfigured with wider and better-organized seats, including increased wheelchair accommodations. The result is greater comfort and better sightlines, and the stage can now shift between thrust and proscenium formats.

A staircase on the second floor of the new welcome centers leads to the mainstage Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater. Photo © Peter McCullough

Back-of-house enhancements include a new fly loft with improved catwalks, rigging, lighting and projection systems, along with expanded dressing rooms and remodeled administrative offices. Relocating scenery fabrication and storage to a new facility off-site helped to free up space for all this. MEP system upgrades were extensive and drove almost 50 percent of project cost.

“I love that the Milwaukee Rep was committed to staying downtown in this historic building,” says TJ Morley, design principal at Milwaukee-headquartered EUA. The old power plant is a handsome neoclassical composition of red brick on a stone base. In counterpoint to its opacity, the new entry pavilion, a rectangular volume enclosed by an aluminum and glass curtain wall, is an essay in transparency. Though the Pabst Theater to the east, another late 19th century masonry landmark, is not part of this project, the three structures together form a sophisticated urban design set piece.

The expanded and modernized Associated Bank Theater Center looking east down Wells Street. Photo © Peter McCullough

Photo © Peter McCullough

Tying together these very different buildings is a strong architectural vision that deftly combines an historic monument exemplifying the Vitruvian virtues of firmness, commodity, and delight with new construction whose functional yet elegant design has the Modernist merits of space, light, and air. The reborn Milwaukee Rep should get glowing reviews from performers and audiences alike—and even from passing pedestrians—for many years to come.

Section drawing of Powerhouse Theater courtesy EUA, click to enlarge.