Spanning both UWM’s main campus and Milwaukee’s East Side, The College of the Arts & Architecture maintains a multitude of performance halls, lecture and conference rooms, digital labs, and other facilities available for rent–each with its own distinct personality, from grand to uniquely innovative.
Conference Rooms
AUP 110 is a 70-seat lecture hall located in UWM’s Architecture and Urban Planning Building. The room features upgraded seating, carpeting, and integrated classroom presentation technology, making it well suited for lectures, presentations, meetings, and other instructional or group activities.
AUP 170 is a 184-seat lecture hall located in UWM’s Architecture and Urban Planning Building. The room is well suited for large lectures, presentations, meetings, and other instructional or group activities, with classroom presentation technology designed to support a variety of academic and event needs.
The Art Building is part of the Arts Center, which was constructed in two phases. The Music Building was built in 1962. An addition, built in 1968, includes the Theatre, Lecture Hall, and Art Building.
The Art Building contains over 40,000 square feet for art education, ceramics, sculpture, metals, fibers, graphic design, print making, digital studio practice, jewelry, painting and drawing. It also houses administrative offices for the School of the Arts.
Built in 1968, the 350-seat Lecture Hall, formerly used for general assignment classes, is being renovated to become a sophisticated, mediated lecture, film screening, and live performance space to serve the curricular and public outreach programs of the Peck School of the Arts. The facility is located on the eastern edge of the Arts complex near Mitchell Hall.
The Susan and Richard Pieper Family Foundation Green Room is a moderate sized meeting room with full windows facing south. This space is perfect for workshops, meetings, or retreats, and holds 100 to 120 attendees.
Zelazo 177 is a smaller, more intimate space intended for smaller gatherings and meetings. Approximately 32 feet by 19 feet, the space can accommodate up to 50 attendees, depending upon the final configuration of the event. This room also has floor to ceiling windows facing south.
The Irving and Miriam Lowe Patrons Lounge is a large reception, meeting, or performance space about 35 feet by 65 feet in area, accommodating up to 200 people. The space also has beautiful and historic stained glass windows which add special ambiance to any event.
Room 280 is a spacious room with many entry points to accommodate large groups for panel discussions and staged events. Approximately 54 feet by 56 feet, this space has wonderful acoustics and serves as a great venue for musical events.
Marcus Commons is a versatile 3,200-square-foot gathering and event space located in UWM’s Architecture and Urban Planning Building. Floor-to-ceiling windows fill the space with natural light, while flexible tables and seating can be arranged to accommodate meetings, presentations, receptions, workshops, and other events. The Commons also features Wi-Fi, a portable sound system, and four rolling monitors, providing adaptable technology and furnishings for a wide variety of uses.
Performance Halls
A 100-seat, sloped-floor cinema with comfortable seating and Xenon-Arc film and high-resolution video projection. Works by visiting artists, faculty & students, as well as prints from the Cinema Arts Archive are screened regularly.
A 100-seat 50’x50’ black box theatre outfitted with a facility-wide lighting grid. Manufactured seating risers provide easy reconfiguration of the performance space. Located on the fifth floor of our Kenilworth Square East building.
The Helen Bader Concert Hall contains 760 seats, a large open stage 72 feet wide and 38 feet deep, an orchestra pit and a stage lighting system capable of meeting most performance requirements. The concert hall is located in the Helene Zelazo Center of the Performing Arts at 2419 East Kenwood Boulevard. Formerly the sanctuary for Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, the building was acquired by the Peck School of the Arts in 2000 and was renovated into a major performance venue for music.
The original B’ne Jeshurun was formed from three tiny Jewish congregations in 1856. Thirteen years later, 35 families left the congregation to establish a new Congregation Emanu-El, and the groups resided separately for 58 years. In 1922, Emanu-El, requiring more space, built a new facility on Kenwood Boulevard. When plans for the new Milwaukee County Courthouse on 10th and Cedar Street (now Kilbourn Avenue) called for the demolition of B’ne Jeshurun’s synagogue in 1927, Milwaukee’s two Reform congregations merged and have since existed as Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun. Seventy years later, the Congregation moved to a new building in River Hills, and the old synagogue became UWM’s Helene Zelazo Center of the Performing Arts.
The art windows of the Helen Bader Concert Hall were designed by Milwaukee Rabbi Joseph L. Baron, who served the community from 1926 to 1960. The 14 individual windows contain Hebrew words and symbols of Jewish idealism.
Named after Department of Art & Design alumna Jan Serr, the space provides a home for contemporary and interdisciplinary artists of all kinds. This state-of-the-art facility features a 300-capacity flexible theatre seating, acoustic-tempered digital sound capabilities, adjustable panels and theatrical lighting. Located on the sixth floor of Kenilworth Square East, this vibrant event space offers stunning views of Lake Michigan and the city skyline, making it a popular venue for our own events and rentals. A cashless bar serves refreshments at select events.
The Theatre Building is part of the Arts Center, which was constructed in two phases. The Music Building was built in 1962. An addition, built in 1968, includes the Theatre, Lecture Hall, and Art Building.
The primary performance space is the 525-seat Mainstage Theatre where performances of the Professional Theatre Training Program and other groups are staged.
Built in 1965, Mainstage includes seven elevators that allow for variable thrust stage configurations including additional audience seating. At the back of the thrust is a stage opening variable from 36 feet to 52 feet in width and a stage 64 feet wide by 30 feet deep with 27 line sets. An extensive sound system and computer controlled 384 dimmer lighting system serve performances in the space.
Studio 254 is a 100-seat facility that doubles as a dance teaching and rehearsal studio when not set up for performance. The theatre is located in Mitchell Hall at 3203 N. Downer Ave.
Built in 1958, the 300-seat space includes an open stage 38 feet wide by 16 feet deep. The Recital Hall, used by soloists and small ensembles, features state of the art sound-recording technology and two Steinway concert grand pianos. Located adjacent to the Music Building at 2400 East Kenwood Boulevard.
