After the InterContinental hotel in downtown Milwaukee undergoes a rebranding and renovation next year, it will reopen as Saint Kate, Milwaukee’s first independent arts hotel.
Marcus Hotels & Resorts officials unveiled the Saint Kate brand to a crowd of about 400 representatives from Milwaukee’s art community at the InterContinental on Monday evening.
The 219-room hotel at at 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. will include art-inspired rooms, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, 11 event rooms and three restaurants, as well as bars and lounges. Design plans also include a theater that will feature plays, lectures, classes and musical and dance performances; gallery space; a working artist-in-residence studio, and event spaces to host rotating exhibitions, screenings and workshops. The name pays homage to Saint Catherine, the patron saint of artists.
Saint Kate is expected to open in mid-2019.
“Saint Kate is a place for everyone who treasures the arts and appreciates all that art can bring to our lives and communities,” said artist Reginald Baylor, the first artist in residence of the Pfister Hotel. “Like art in its most basic form, this hotel is fully inclusive and a home to experience the power of contrasts. Saint Kate will help show the world that Milwaukee is a vibrant destination for creative expression.”
The hotel is seeking proposals from artists that will be reviewed by an independent arts advisory board of leaders from Milwaukee arts organizations and creative influencers. Ideas can be emailed to proposals@saintkatearts.com.
“We are in the business of asking what-if and why not? People like adventure and authentic experiences and the opportunity to step out of their day-to-day,” said Greg Marcus, president and CEO of The Marcus Corp. “Saint Kate will be full of surprises for those who crave an enriching travel experience – to engage and explore, rather than simply observe. Our number-one goal is to challenge people’s thinking about art and the creative process. By tapping into our creative community, we are using art as a tool to show that there is beauty in the process as well as the finished product. All can be celebrated at Saint Kate.”
Marcus announced Monday that Scott Sloan, general manager of The Elizabeth hotel in Fort Collins, Colorado, will be the general manager of Saint Kate.
The hotel will close early next year for six months to undergo the rebranding and renovation project.
