The iconic, colorful and historic MECCA basketball floor of the old Milwaukee Arena is for sale.
Owner Ben Koller is looking for a buyer to purchase the floor, according to OnMilwaukee.com.
Koller issued the following statement to OMC:
“Since the day my father purchased the MECCA Floor he was set upon the idea that I was the perfect person to lead the charge. On a surface level it made sense. I was a basketball fanatic throughout my scholastic years and then became enamored with the art of creativity in my twenties. Yet I couldn’t quite figure out why he was so adamant about me leading this endeavor, especially during the most turbulent time of my life. The last time we spent together, the day before he died, my father gave me a key insight as to why he was choosing me. It was bigger than just finding a permanent home for the MECCA Floor, it was about finding a purpose for my life. I know that sounds a bit esoteric. At the time I felt the same way, but now as I write these words I sit in awe at the wisdom of a man seeking the best for his son and offering him a path to create his own clarity in life.
“Over the past three and a half years I’ve dedicated my life to honoring my father’s request. I’ve literally bled, sweat and tear’d along this quest. Like a lump of coal is transformed into a diamond under immense pressure, the MECCA Floor molded and shaped me into the man my father always knew I could become. Because of this process alone I can move forward with my life knowing that I honored the gift that my father offered me.
“The MECCA Project has reached a point where I feel that in order for it to move forward Ben Koller must step aside. The MECCA Floor requires a permanent home and I can no longer allow the floor to sit idle and waste away in a warehouse because I’m the sole decider of what happens with it. The MECCA Floor is a historical artifact that I would like to see displayed during Robert Indiana’s lifetime, and in order to do this I will be seeking new ownership for the floor.
“My intention is to find a new owner committed to permanently and publicly displaying the floor intact in a way that as many people as possible can experience its beauty and magnificent history. I’m open to all possibilities and will be seeking various opportunities throughout the world, with a preference to keep it in Milwaukee. The time has come for the MECCA Floor and Ben Koller to part ways in order that we both may fulfill our unique purposes. I’m extremely confident that this transition will unfold as it’s meant to and I will be able to look back with appreciation and reverence for the adventurous journey that is the MECCA Floor.”
OnMilwaukee.com is a media partner of BizTimes.
