Rentals

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.

The Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts (commonly referred to as the “Zelazo Center”) is a state-of-the art venue for events ranging from the most intimate meeting to the grandest wedding. Originally used as a synagogue by Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun since 1922, the building boasts a grand entrance, two elaborate stained glass displays, as well as exquisite molding, arches, and decorative elements. The Zelazo Center includes the 758-seat Helen Bader Concert Hall, two conference facilities, six new warm-up/practice spaces and two dining and/or ballrooms.

The Concert Hall contains 758 seats, a large open stage 72 feet wide and 38 feet deep and orchestra pit. Bader boasts a computer-controlled stage lighting system including 143 dimmers, a 400-Amp lighting company switch and a 100-Amp sound company switch for touring shows. A Mackie 21-channel soundboard addresses sound needs for performances. In addition, the space includes a molded parabolic dome and is flanked by 12 20ft transept stained glass windows designed by the Congregation’s Rabbi Joseph El L. Baron.

For all its size – a mammoth 500,000 square feet of brick and concrete covering an entire block – the Kenilworth Building might as well have been invisible to its east side neighborhood.

In recent years, the six-story Kenilworth served as a warehouse for its owner, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It also housed the university’s motor pool, mailroom and print shop, along with some rundown studios for students and faculty from UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. A handful of people worked there.

But after a $68 million renovation, which created two buildings by splitting the Kenilworth in half, the property is now among a group of big developments bringing new life to the area.

“To have it be alive, and active and dressed up is a complete slam dunk,” said Jim Plaisted, executive director of the East Side Business Improvement District.

The remodeled Farwell Ave. building has been transformed into the 174-unit Kenilworth Square Apartments, with housing for up to 374 UWM students. Kenilworth Square opened in August and is 80% occupied, said Scott Peak, director of university housing.

Kenilworth Square is aimed primarily at graduate students and has a much calmer atmosphere than UWM’s on-campus dormitories, Peak said.

Meanwhile, the Prospect Ave. building re-opened in October as a large auxiliary facility for the Peck School of the Arts, with revamped artists’ studios for students and faculty, along with new music and drama rehearsal space, recording studios, classrooms and gallery space. The building also has added venues for music and theater performances, and a room for public screenings of student film projects.

“Kenilworth builds new ties to the community“, by Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 5, 2006

Mitchell Hall was the first building to be erected on the new site of the Milwaukee Normal School when it moved from 18th and Wells Streets to Downer Avenue. The north wing was added in 1912 to house the campus school and the new art school. Sometimes known as “Old Main,” the building was named by UWM in 1964 for the Mitchell family, whose outstanding members were Alexander (1811-1887), a successful Wisconsin banker, politician, and Congressman; John (1842-1904), Alexander’s son and a businessman, philanthropist, Congressman and U.S. Senator; and William (Billy), John’s son and an army general who was a pioneer in recognizing the potential of military air power in the United States.

The building houses the Graduate School; Departments of Art and Design, Africology, Art History and Film, Video, Animation and New Genres; faculty offices for dance; and academic and administrative support offices. It also includes rehearsal spaces for theatre and dance, as well as Studio 254, a 100-seat intimate performance space that doubles as a dance teaching and rehearsal studio.

It is also the home to The New Dancemakers’ Series. Mitchell additionally includes at least six skylight-illuminated painting and drawing studio spaces.

The Music 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 Music Building houses the department programs for choir, jazz, music composition and technology, music education, piano, piano pedagogy, strings, woodwinds, and voice.

In addition, the Building includes recording studios and the Music Recital Hall, the main space for chamber ensembles, master classes, solo faculty and student performances, as well as convocations.

Built in 1958, the 299-seat space includes an open stage 38 feet wide by 16 feet deep. The Recital Hall, used by soloists and small ensembles, is located adjacent to the Music Building at 2400 East Kenwood Boulevard.

The Theatre Building is part of the Arts Center, which was constructed in two phases. The Music Building was built in 1962 while an addition, built in 1968, added the Art Building, Theatre Building and Lecture Hall.

The 28,600-square-foot Theatre building houses an art gallery, box office, and student advising offices. The primary departmental performance space is the 525-seat Mainstage Theatre where performances of the Theatre Department and Dance department are staged.

The Theatre Building is the academic home for the Theatre Department and includes studios, laboratories and classrooms that support the department’s specialties in acting, costume production, technical production, stage management and theatre education. Production classrooms include two prop shops, a costume shop, scenery shop, electrics shop and state of the art digital audio studio.

Built in 1968, the 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.

A ninety-eight seat black box studio theatre is located on the fifth floor of the Kenilworth Building at 1925 East Kenilworth Place and is used extensively for Theatre Department performances as well as small professional companies.

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.

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.