Favorite Venue

While I was at Turner Hall Saturday night I was talking to Chris about my favorite venues. It was my first time at Turner Hall, but I did like it. It is in need of some work and a serious paint job.

Historic Turner Hall was built in 1883. The massive four-story structure of cream city brick was composed in the High Victorian Romanesque style. Devoid of ornamental features, three of the building’s facades have a utilitarian character. The west facade, on the other hand, includes an imposing entrance pavilion that terminates in a pyramidal-roofed dormered tower above the roof line. The articulation on this side of the building consists of tall, ornamental spandrels, arched windows and massive stone lintels.

The interior of Turner Hall is even more impressive. The building includes a two-story, 7,000-square-foot ballroom with an expansive balcony that sweeps around the north and west sides of the space; a ground-level gymnasium; large meeting rooms; and a restaurant and beer hall. Murals painted by German panoramic artists that depict important moments in the Turner movement, as well as famous German villages and scenes, can still be found in the Historic Turner Restaurant.

In 1933 and again in 1941, the ballroom was severely damaged by fires, ultimately forcing the Turners to close its doors. After years of neglect, members of the Milwaukee Turners initiated a campaign to restore the ballroom, and in 2000 established the Turner Ballroom Preservation Trust for the purpose of renovating, maintaining and managing the ballroom. Turner Hall has come full circle, as it once again plays host to Milwaukee’s vibrant social and cultural scene.

The Marcus Amphitheater is a 23,000 capacity outdoor concert venue with spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee skyline. The amphitheater was built after an extremely overcrowded Summerfest concert in 1984. The best that I can come up with was that the concert of note was Huey Lewis and News (they were the headliners that year). But I am not sure on that. It was completed in 1987.The Riverside Theater comes in at number 4, opened April 29, 1928. It seats 2,558. The Riverside Theater is one of 6 grand vaudeville/movie theaters designed and constructed during the 1920's by Classic theater specialists, Kirchoff and Thomas Rose, in the city of Milwaukee. They were picked to create this theater because of their marvelous work done on the Palace Theater in New York City. As of 2008, the Riverside Theater is the only classic theater which they designed that is still standing in Milwaukee, and still being used for theatrical and musical performances.

The French baroque style, showcased in the theater's decorum, truly offered a wonderful place to escape the worries and troubles of life, while enjoying the entertainment offered. The theater's auditorium had 5 chandeliers, a 3 manual, 13 rank Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, and a glorious, giant central dome, with tri-color cove lighting, hidden by an ornate rim of cabochon-faced crests, to top it all off.

There are also claims that the Riverside is haunted:
At least one known male and one female entity make The Riverside Theater their home.
A strong scent of floral perfume and the unmistakable aroma of cigar smoke have been noticed by staff, performers and patrons alike. When the theatre is quiet and empty, these entities have made themselves plainly known in front of the staff.

The solid form of a male entity has been seen lying on the auditorium chairs, and standing in / walking down the aisles.

The feeling of being watched is strong at times.

The custodial staff which cleans the theatre during the wee hours of the morning have told the entities that they have work to do, and don't even react to paper mysteriously floating down from the ceiling, or turning their back on their cleaning supplies, and finding them moved from where they were last left.

I like the Riverside, but a prefer the Pabst Theater over it.

The Pabst Theater is number 3 on the list. It is breathtakingly beautiful and the oldest, most ornate theater in Milwaukee, was built in 1895. Designed by Otto Strack in the tradition of the great European opera houses, the theater is acoustically pure. It is considered the best-preserved German-American theater in the United States, and is a reminder of a time when Milwaukee was known as the “Deutsche Athens” (German Athens). It is also the fourth oldest operating theater on the same site in the United States. The Pabst Theater was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Its golden curtain has risen over 25,000 times for virtually every great name in 20th century music, dance and drama since the opening performance in 1895.

The Pabst is a traditional proscenium stage theater with two balconies, for a total capacity of 1,345 people. The theater also has a hydraulic orchestra pit, adding to its suitability for virtually any performing arts event. The auditorium itself is drum-shaped and is decorated in reds and maroons with gold and silver accents. A large, 2-ton Austrian crystal chandelier hangs over the auditorium. The theater also boasts a staircase crafted from white Italian Carrara marble and a proscenium arch highlighted in gold leaf, which frames the stage.

I guess it is it's history and the fact that it is more intimate and more ornate that puts it ahead of the Riverside.

Here are some old school photos of the Pabst.The Eagles Ballroom. The Eagles Club granite brick building was built in 1926, sponsored by the Eagles Organization, and hosted not only elegant ballroom dances, but also was an athletic club with a gymnasium, bowling alley, boxing ring, and basketball court. There were also a variety of lounges, a barbershop, a radio station, a cafeteria, a pool hall, and a swimming pool. When the athletic club closed, a men's shelter took up residence for a while in the basement area. Since 1980, The Rave / Eagles Club began to showcase rock bands, taking over the entire building.

The building is divided into six separate venues, making it theoretically possible to have six different acts playing at the same time.
The Eagles Ballroom is the building's showpiece, featuring a 25,000 square feet oval wooden dance floor, originally installed when the building was constructed, in addition to a large, old-fashioned domed ceiling and a large stage on one side. Originally a ballroom, it has hosted everything from boxing matches to concerts to ethnic dances. There is a second floor, with a row of balconies around the oval, from one side of the stage to the other.

This venue is also said to be haunted

The pool room in the basement area; (which is said to be kept locked at all times) and The Eagles Ballroom are the most haunted rooms in the building, though paranormal activity has been reported all over the building, usually when few people are in the building. Cold spots as well as negative energy are felt by the living in many parts of the building, especially around closing time.
The entity of the vile shelter manager is thought to be the source of the negative energy and some of the icy cold spots. People hear voices coming from places where no one living is there. Happy sounds of children playing or the distressful noise of children crying unhappily are heard as well.
An entity of a little girl roams around the old hallways behind the coat-check area in the basement. Her laughter is heard. Her presence sometimes gives the living a brief sense of dread. Staff who were cleaning up after closing hours have seen entities of children playing in a group. Many people here have witnessed "paranormal activity."
Shuffled foot steps, a strong odor of bleach, and objects have been thrown off the roof area, when no one living was in this area have been reported. Distinct presences are felt and seen by the living in various parts of this building.
Shadow people have been spotted in the basement area.
In various rooms of the club, bands have heard a presence or seen an entity watching them play during rehearsal, or when not many people are around.

Personally the Eagles Ballroom is number 2 on my list of favorite music venues. Some people think it is gross and disgusting, but not me. I always enjoy climbing that final staircase up to the ball room. As you reach the top step, the smell of cigarettes and stale beer is almost welcome. You can feel the electricity of the crowd. Then you see the purple domed ceiling and hear the loud hub-bub of the crowd. It is also nice to step out on the balcony that overlooks the parking lot for a breath of free cool air while making a run to the bathroom.And now the number one venue. The Alpine Valley Music Theatre is a 37,000 capacity amphitheatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. The seasonal venue was built in 1977, and it features a characteristic wooden roof covering the 7,500-seat pavilion, and a sprawling lawn. Until 1993, when the San Manuel Amphitheater was built in California, it was the largest amphitheater in the United States.

Yes, Alpine is number 1. It has to be. Tailgating here is second to none. I am torn about the parking situation. There are two main lots, shown in the first picture. But there is also an overflow lot which would be to the east, or right as you look at the picture. If parked in this lot, you have to follow the road down into the valley before ascending back up to the entrance of the amiptheater. After the show as you walk back to the overflow lot, you can turn around and it is an odd sight to see people suddenly appear from the fog that has rolled into the valley.

It is just such an experience to walk into a show there after it has just started. And the closer you get to the stage the more intense everything gets. The grass seats and the reserve seats although in rather close proximity to each other are worlds apart.