Construction begins for FPC Live’s Deer District music venue

Construction of FPC Live‘s $60 million indoor music venue in downtown Milwaukee’s Deer District began Thursday.

The venue, which will have a capacity for 4,500 spectators in a ballroom-style setting, was originally proposed in early 2022 and underwent a contentious zoning approval process before project leaders scrapped their initial plans for a two venue facility in the face of increased construction costs and interest rates.

“We’ve got everything lined up now, there’s steel on the site and a pile driver and a crane,” said Joel Plant, chief executive officer of Frank Productions, the parent company of Madison-based concert promoter FPC Live. “We’re beginning test piles today and away we go.”

Construction crews will pause work for a couple of weeks in mid-July to accommodate the Republican National Convention, which will take place July 15 through 18. Construction will recommence late July, according to Plant.

FPC Live’s venue will be located directly south of Fiserv Forum, the RNC’s main venue.

“It’s all in the interest of making sure that Milwaukee is able to shine on the international stage during the RNC,” Plant said. “We’ll get about five weeks of work done in terms of pile driving before then.”

Neenah-based Miron Construction is the construction manager for the project.

Slated for a fall 2025 opening, Plant estimates that the first shows for the venue will be announced early next year.

“When new venues are being constructed, artists’ agents are interested in talking with the operator to get involved in the first group of acts that are going to break the room in,” Plant said.

Earlier plans for the facility included an 800-spectator capacity venue and a 4,000-spectator capacity venue, but due to rising construction costs, plans for the smaller venue were dropped and the size of the larger venue was increased. The revised plans were approved last year by city officials.