Wisconsin Conservatory of Music leaders today announced plans to add more parking and an event space behind the school’s historic mansion on Milwaukee’s East Side, with hopes of renting out the venue for Democratic National Convention-related events next summer.
The nonprofit music school plans to double the size of its current 24-space parking area, which is located on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, to create an area that can be used as a community space and outdoor entertainment venue. The Conservatory owns the 1903 Neo-Classic mansion at 1584 N. Prospect Ave., where it hosts music lessons and performances.
Construction on the expansion project, which is expected to cost between $1.3 million and $1.6 million, will begin in July and is scheduled to be completed by late January. The project is fully funded.
By expanding the parking area with decking that would extend onto the bluff, Conservatory leaders said the school will be able to better accommodate students for private lessons and community members who attend faculty resident ensemble concerts. The Conservatory has about 1,000 students who study at the main campus, and three faculty resident ensembles.
“As we thought about our expanded space behind the Conservatory, we anticipated the primary use would be for increased access to our main campus,” said Eric Tillich, president and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. “Our expansion east will allow us to provide more space for our community to utilize. But we also saw a dual purpose in a secondary use as an event venue for our students, faculty and staff.”
Uihlein/Wilson-Ramlow/Stein Architects is the project architect. Gilbane Building Co. is the general contractor.
Conservatory leaders said the venue will provide a new revenue source to support the Conservatory, which in recent years has emerged from financial challenges. As recently as 2015, the organization was saddled with debt, running a year-to-year operational deficit and was forced to furlough staff. In late 2016, two donors issued a challenge to the Conservatory board to raise enough money to wipe out its debt. The board completed the challenge in 2017.
Meanwhile, the organization has also added new revenue streams, namely its Conservatory Connections community outreach program, which is funded by private fundraising and fee-for-service contracts. The Conservatory now serves 16,000 students, about 14,000 of whom are in public, private, charter and choice schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, senior living communities and day care centers.
