Milwaukee’s Cultural Icon

One of Milwaukee’s most beautiful and significant cultural attractions is the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and their beautifully restored hall, The Warner Theater. The theater opened in 1931 at 212 W Wisconsin Avenue in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. It replaced a smaller moviehouse and soon became one of Milwaukee’s finest. The grand movie palace was split into two theaters in 1973 and renamed The Grand, but much of the Art Deco details survived. A renovation took place in 1982 that saved and enhanced some of the theater’s original style. In April of 1989, the local premier of “Major League” was shown at The Grand. The theaters were closed in 1995 and the only activity seen after that were different ads on the marquee. In 2016 the Milwaukee Symphony announced plans to purchase and renovate the theater into its new symphony center.

The new symphony center was opened in 2021 and features a fully restored lobby and hall. It also includes state-of-the-art amenities and a new annex for gathering and refreshments before performances or during intermissions. The MSO was founded in 1959 and is one of the finest orchestras in the nation. It is currently led by Ken-David Masur and carries out over 135 performances per season. While I don’t know much about other symphonies across the nation, the MSO offers very diverse performances to engage and captivate audiences. Just last week the Indigo Girls performed with the MSO. Besides the more traditional classics and pops concerts, the MSO performs a variety of genres with traveling artists in jazz, blues and folk. They even perform to showings of hit movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Noreena and I have caught various MSO performances including Beethoven’s 9th, a night of Aaron Copland, Mendelson, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Mozart and even a tribute to Elton John and Paul McCartney. They also have great education and community outreach programs. Another unique aspect to the symphony center is the 1981 mural by artist Richard Haas. The mural covers the blank east wall of the office tower with added architectural embellishments and reflections of some of Milwaukee’s lost buildings to the east of the theater. Whether a lover of music, history, architecture or Art Deco, a visit the historic Warner Theater is a must.