The B.C. The Fortress on 4th Street | |
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 Interactive map of Bradley Center | |
| Address | 1001 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. |
|---|---|
| Location | Milwaukee,Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 43°2′37″N87°55′1″W / 43.04361°N 87.91694°W /43.04361; -87.91694 |
| Owner | Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation |
| Capacity | Wrestling: 18,800 Concerts: 20,000 College basketball: 18,850 Basketball: 18,633 (1988–97) 18,717 (1997–2018) Ice hockey: 17,845 Indoor soccer: 17,800 |
| Scoreboard | White Way |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 20, 1986 |
| Opened | October 1, 1988 |
| Closed | July 25, 2018 |
| Demolished | January–May 2019 |
| Construction cost | $91 million ($261 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect |
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| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti[3] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers[4] |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) 1988–2018 Milwaukee Admirals (IHL/AHL) 1988–2016 Marquette Golden Eagles (NCAA) 1988–2018 Milwaukee Wave (NPSL/MISL) 1988–2003 Milwaukee Mustangs (AFL) 1994–2001 Milwaukee Mustangs (AF2/AFL) 2009–2012 | |
TheBradley Center (also known as theBMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets indowntownMilwaukee,Wisconsin, United States.
It was home to theMilwaukee Bucks of theNBA and theMarquette Universitymen's basketball team. It was also the home of theMilwaukee Wave of theMISL, from 1988 to 2003, theoriginal Milwaukee Mustangs of theAFL from 1994 to 2001, along withthe second incarnation of the team from 2009 to 2012, the Badger Hockey Showdown from 1989 to 2002, and theMilwaukee Admirals of theAHL (and formerly of theIHL) from 1988 to 2016.
The arena employed about 50 full-time employees, mostly tradespeople, and about 700 part-time employees to help during events.[6]
Following the opening of the newFiserv Forum in late August 2018, the Bradley Center was demolished to make way for future development.[6] Assets from the arena, including display boards, scoreboards, equipment and sports and concert memorabilia were auctioned off.[7]
The arena opened on October 1, 1988, with an exhibition hockey game between theChicago Blackhawks and theEdmonton Oilers. At $90 million, it was meant to be a modern replacement of its current cross-street neighbor, The MECCA (now theUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena), built in 1950. The arena was built as an attempt to attract anexpansion franchise for theNational Hockey League, though this never occurred, and theInternational Hockey League'sMilwaukee Admirals (later moving to theAmerican Hockey League) used the arena for the majority of its existence. The MECCA, during much of its time operating as an NBA facility, had the league's smallest seating capacity, holding just over 11,000 people. Funds to build the Center were donated as a gift to the State of Wisconsin by broadcaster/Admirals ownerLloyd Pettit and his wife,Jane Bradley Pettit, in memory of Jane's late father,Harry Lynde Bradley of theAllen-Bradley company; the latter was noted upon the arena's exterior with subtle decorative outlines, hinting of its trademarkoctagonal logo.
Despite being one of the premier NBA facilities when completed in 1988, it was one of the oldest activeNBA arenas by the end of the Bucks' tenancy in 2018, only behindMadison Square Garden in New York City, andOakland Arena, although both had been extensively renovated during the Bradley Center's lifetime, and the latter was replaced by theChase Center inSan Francisco in 2019. The donation from the Pettits did not include provisions for the building's long-term capital needs or annual operating expenses. While the facility was self-sufficient, its tenants had been at a disadvantage compared with other NBA teams due to the arrangement in the arena's later years.[8]
For several years, former Bucks owner and former U.S. SenatorHerb Kohl proposed constructing a new, state-of-the-art downtown arena, but the community reaction to the idea of a publicly funded arena was mostly negative. In 2009, Wisconsin GovernorJim Doyle included a provision in the state's capital budget seeking $5 million in state bonding support to renovate the Bradley Center. The Bradley Center's board of directors told state officials that the building needs $23 million in renovations, so they reportedly agreed to raise the remaining $18 million on their own.[9]
During the summer of 2010, the arena's longtime SonyJumbotron scoreboard was replaced with a new 3.5-million-pixel LED unit manufactured by TS Sports and Lighthouse Technologies, and was put into service in October 2010 at the start of the Admirals season. Unlike many other NBA and NHL scoreboards, the bottom panel also has an LED screen, allowing display of many images above the floor itself rather than a static image of a sponsor or team logo.[10]
On May 21, 2012, the Bucks' then-ownerHerb Kohl and representatives fromBMO Harris Bank announced that the bank had officially purchased the naming rights for the Bradley Center, and it would now be called theBMO Harris Bradley Center.[11] The last game at the Bradley Center was an NBA playoff game won by the Bucks over the Celtics, 97–86, on April 26, 2018.
The arena's final public event was aBon Jovi concert on April 29, 2018, while the arena's final overall event was theannual meeting ofNorthwestern Mutual Life's agents and beneficiaries from July 20 through July 24, 2018, concluding with a private concert by theZac Brown Band.[12][13]
On September 18, 2013, then-deputy NBA commissionerAdam Silver toured the arena and found it unbefitting of an NBA team. Silver said that the building was a few thousand square feet short of NBA standards, and also lacked numerous amenities.[14] The NBA issued a mandate requiring the Bucks to relocate, or be close to completion of a new facility by 2017.
On April 16, 2014, Bucks' ownerHerb Kohl announced an agreement to sell the franchise to New York City hedge-fund investors Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens. The deal included provisions for $100 million each from Kohl and the new ownership group, for a total of $200 million, toward the construction of a new downtown arena.[15]
On July 15, 2015, theWisconsin Senate approved funding for the newFiserv Forum by a 21-10 margin, and on July 28, 2015, theWisconsin State Assembly approved funding by a 52-34 margin.[16] On August 12, 2015, GovernorScott Walker signed the arena spending plan atWisconsin State Fair Park inWest Allis,Wisconsin.[17]
During the summer of 2016, the Admirals moved to the Panther Arena and the Bradley Center was modified to allow normal operation for two years while making space for the construction of the new arena to the north. The arena's icemaking plant and HVAC buildings were demolished and the arena's cooling facilities moved to a smaller facility away from the construction site. With the arena hosting no further hockey games, portable icemaking equipment was used for its last two ice events, the 2017 and 2018 runs ofDisney on Ice. Other modifications included a temporary loading dock and trash disposal facilities on the east side of the building.[18]
Over $1 million in electrical equipment, luxury suite furniture, and bathroom fixtures from the Bradley Center was donated to the Local 494 of theInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Milwaukee chapter ofHabitat for Humanity, andMilwaukee Public Schools.[19] Due to the arena's close proximity to adjacent buildings, including the Fiserv Forum and the historicTurner Hall, the arena was deconstructed over a period of nine months. The Bucks still own the Bradley Center site for future development.[20] Exterior demolition of the arena began in the spring of 2019, starting at the northwest corner of the structure. Demolition contractors used explosives to cut the steel structure, but not enough to trigger an implosion of the entire arena due to the nearby presences ofTurner Hall and theJournal Sentinel building.[21] On January 13, 2019 the roof of the Bradley Center was imploded.[22] The final standing part of the Bradley Center was felled on May 31, 2019. Bucks officials state that redevelopment of the Bradley Center site would not start until after the2020 Democratic National Convention takes place.[23] As of August 2020, due to COVID-19, redevelopment of the site will likely not commence until 2021.
During the Bucks' run to theNBA Finals in 2021, the Bradley Center site was used as part of the viewing parties in the Deer District for the Bucks' playoff games. For the Bucks' game 6 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals, theFiserv Forum's plaza and the Bradley Center site had over 65,000 fans in total watching the game.
The arena hosted the NCAA men'sFrozen Four finals in 1993, 1997 and 2006 and theGreat Midwest Conference men's basketball tournament in 1995.
The Bradley Center was a host site for second and third-round games in theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2017.
The Bradley Center was host toWorld Wrestling Entertainment events since February 1989 (then WWF) when it hostedThe Main Event II, where the Mega Powers ofMacho Man Randy Savage andHulk Hogan disbanded, setting up a match between the two stars atWrestleMania V.[24] Shortly thereafter, WWE's ratings fell and they began using the smaller MECCA for shows.
In the early 2000s, WWE returned to the Bradley Center for pay-per-viewsNo Way Out (2002), which saw the debut of the NWO,Taboo Tuesday (2004),Elimination Chamber (2012), andFastlane (2017). The Bradley Center also regularly hosted episodes ofRaw andSmackDown.
The BMO Harris Bradley Center also played host to the firstUFC event inWisconsin:UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle on August 14, 2011.[25]UFC 164 was also held at the arena on August 31, 2013.[26][27]
TheJerry Garcia Band played the Bradley Center on November 28, 1991, a show that was later released asGarcia Live Volume Eight.
Early auditions forthe tenth season ofAmerican Idol were held at the arena on July 21, 2010 with 10,000 people auditioning.[28][29]
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Milwaukee Bucks 1988–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 2006 | Succeeded by |
