The Milwaukee Bucks have signed letters of intent with two of the three anchor tenants for the entertainment block, or “live block,” portion of the downtown Milwaukee arena project.
Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin said the tenants, which he declined to name, would bring excitement to the block, which will span North Fourth Street between West Highland Avenue and West Juneau Avenue, although he would not comment on whether the tenants were dining or entertainment.
The entertainment block features three buildings, that are multiple stories and will contain one or multiple tenants, Feigin said. The team is marketing the entertainment block as a 100,000-square-foot space including the 40,000-square-foot Fourth Street Plaza and 60,000 square feet for the two-story buildings along Fourth Street.
“We are envisioning an anchor and then other ancillary tenants that could be anything from a taqueria to tequila bar to work space.”
The Bucks are expected to break ground on the entertainment block next month.
Earlier this week, the Bucks updated their plans with the city for the two public plaza connectors.
The north connector, between Old World Third and North Fourth Street, shows an overhead canopy structure and a beer garden.
Feigin said the Bucks are still determining if the beer garden will be self-managed or if the franchise will control it.
Meanwhile, the arena is moving forward with much of the lower bowl installed and escalators and stairs in the lobby being installed.
“We’re almost enclosed and it’s pretty incredible,” Feigin said. “We broke ground June 18 (2016) and we’ve been very lucky on weather, we’ve been lucky on timing and we’re very happy.”
Outside, the exterior has been partly covered with zinc panels that will give the building a distinctive appearance.
Feigin said he is happy with the arena construction progress so far.
“It is beyond our expectations, and we had delusional expectations on how cool this would look,” he said. “And I promise you, at night, this looks even cooler.”
