Brookfield-based Hunzinger has been selected by the Milwaukee Bucks to manage the construction of the entertainment block as part of the downtown Milwaukee arena development.
The entertainment block, known as the “Live Block,” will span Fourth Street from West Highland Avenue to West Juneau Avenue, and will serve as a connection between the new arena and existing commercial activity along Old World Third Street.
It will feature an active space designed for year-round community use featuring a mixture of dining, entertainment and retail.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Hunzinger to our development team and to partner with another Wisconsin company with a proud legacy of excellence to bring our ownership’s dynamic vision for this public space to life,” Bucks President Peter Feigin said in a press release.
“This entertainment block will be a showcase for the best entertainment outlets that Milwaukee and Wisconsin have to offer, and an integral component of the broader development that will re-energize this portion of the city.”
Hunzinger has worked on many of Milwaukee’s iconic entertainment venues, including Miller Park, the Pabst Theater, the Summerfest grounds and the original construction of the BMO Harris Bradley Center nearly 30 years ago.
“We are honored to join the Bucks’ team for this exciting project,”John Hunzinger, company president said in a written statement. “We feel privileged to be associated with the Bucks and to contribute to their vision for the renaissance of downtown Milwaukee.”
Rogers, Minn.-based Veit & Company, Inc., will manage the demolition of the existing parking structure on the site of the new entertainment block. The Zoning and Neighborhood Development committee will decide Tuesday if the city will turn over a city-owned parking structure to the Bucks in October that will be demolished as part of the $524 million arena proposal.
The Common Council originally agreed to give the parking structure to the Bucks as part of the city’s $47 million financing agreement by Dec. 31, but the Bucks want to take control earlier in order to have the Live Block ready by November 2018.
Earlier this year, the Bucks announced that Gensler and Milwaukee-based Rinka Chung will comprise the design team for the entertainment block.
Scheduled to open in fall of 2018, the 714,000-square-foot arena will be home to Milwaukee Bucks basketball and other sports and entertainment events. The new arena was designed by Populous, Eppstein Uhen and HNTB, with Mortenson Construction chosen to lead the construction of the project.
