Marcus Center proceeding with delayed plan to complete the replacement of its former sunken grove with an accessible, tree-lined lawn.
The Marcus Performing Arts Center is proceeding with a delayed plan to complete the replacement of its former sunken grove with an accessible, tree-lined lawn.
Two dozen honey locust trees will be planted this week, to be followed by perennial plants.
Tables and seats, including some to accommodate people using wheelchairs, will be placed beneath the trees.
Also, a plaque marking the center's dedication to war veterans, along with two flagpoles, will be moved to a more visible spot near East Kilbourn Avenue and North Water Street.
That work, including improved lighting, will be completed by summer's end, said Marcus Center President and Chief Executive Officer Kendra Whitlock Ingram.
Once finished, the lawn will not be enclosed — unlike last summer's use of a chain-link fence and concrete barricades that drew public criticism.
While Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization, people view the lawn "as public, park-like space," Ingram told the Journal Sentinel.
Center officials might still occasionally enclose the lawn for private events, she said.
Most events would be free
But concerts at the adjacent Peck Pavilion — which has a newly installed screen — and other outdoor programs which use the lawn will generally be free, Ingram said.
Last summer, the lawn was enclosed to host paid concerts.
It was a way for Marcus Center to generate revenue during a period in which the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down indoor venues.
Also, the fence and barricades were a reaction to shootings in the nearby Water Street nightlife area.
"We were experimenting a bit," Ingram said.
The center this week finishes its performance season without having to cancel any major events because of the pandemic, she said.
There won't be outdoor events this summer because of the work being done to the lawn.
With the pandemic's threat receding, center officials decided to proceed with that project.
It's the latest in a series of phased renovations at Marcus Center.
The first phase was completed in 2021.
Future phases call for a new donors lounge on the building's south side facing the lawn, a five-story projection wall where performances can be seen live from the lawn, and a new atrium and terrace overlooking the Milwaukee River.
Master plan under review
Center officials continue to review that master plan, Ingram said. There's no timeline set for those phases.
Meanwhile, the lawn's changes will help make it "more user friendly" with a "park-like setting," she said.
That includes six more trees than the initially planned number of 18 trees.
The removal of the sunken grove's 36 horse chestnut trees was controversial.
The grove plans, part of the larger redevelopment proposal unveiled in December 2018, were opposed by preservationists.
They said removing the trees would harm the legacy of landscape designer Dan Kiley, whose other works include the Cudahy Gardens in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The Historic Preservation Commission ruled the Marcus Center, which opened in 1969, should be designated as historic.
That designation would have forced Marcus Center officials to obtain commission approval for any exterior changes — including removing the trees.
However, the Common Council in May 2019 voted against that designation, with center officials saying many of the trees were dying.
The grove was removed about a year later.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marcus Center proceeding with replacing grove with tree-lined lawn
