Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Virtual Tour: Symphonic Design

The scope of the project included the conversion of the Historic Warner Grand Theater, a movie palace built in the 1930’s into a symphonic hall. This conversion required performing detailed acoustical studies, moving a 630-ton historic wall to make room for a performance stage and building strategic additions to provide amenities expected of a 21st century acoustic hall.

The presentation will utilize animations and in-process construction images. It will briefly describe the history and inception of the project, tax credit approval, NPS involvement, as well as outline critical considerations of a performance space such as acoustic characteristics.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore lessons learned from converting a historic movie palace into a symphonic concert hall.
• Recognize acoustic considerations for the concert hall.
• Identify National Park Service (NPS) involvement and historic tax-credit requirements.
• Explain final design intent and in-process construction utilizing animations and in-process construction images.