BMO Harris Bradley Center
Image Credit: Daniel X O'Neil (CC BY 2.0)
The Milwaukee Bucks have been playing their home games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center since 1988. After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver gave the Milwaukee Bucks organization an ultimatum in 2013 to either relocate to another city or build a brand new arena, the Milwaukee Bucks immediately began making moves. The Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center will debut at the beginning of the 2018-2019 NBA season.
Commissioner Silver deemed the BMO Harris Bradley Center below league standards since it was too small and was lacking in amenities that other NBA arenas currently offer. The future home arena of the Bucks will cost an estimated $524 million to construct. The state and local governments will be contributing roughly half of the construction costs via taxpayer funds. In addition to the new arena will be a 30 acre mixed use development which will include a new practice facility for the team, a public plaza, a new parking structure and an entertainment district with new retail shops, restaurants and bars.
Milwaukee Bucks fans should be especially excited about the layout of the new arena which will feature seats that are much closer to the action than those currently offered at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The majority of the arena's seating capacity will be on the lower level. There will also be new premium seating options (club seats and suites) as well as wider concourses that are much easier to navigate.
The first slab of concrete was recently poured onto the arena site which sits between 4th and 6th streets in downtown Milwaukee. Deer District LLC will be the firm that oversees the arena's construction through completion. The Milwaukee Bucks organization signed a 30 year lease with the arena during the spring of 2016. History and current NBA trends suggest that the Milwaukee Bucks will eventually sell the naming rights of the arena to a corporate sponsor. The BMO Harris Bradley Center will be demolished upon the completion of the new arena.
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