Located in the heart of Milwaukee’s prominent and trendy neighborhood of Bay View, the Avalon Theater boasts elegance, grace, and unique sense of beauty to the ever-growing economy. Whether it’s the massive piers once topped with terracotta urns, the soaring arch flanked by twisted concrete columns, or the original wrought iron chandelier with its candle lamps and colored glass jewels, Avalon Theater has stood the test of time for the last 86 years.
Through influencing many generations along the historic Kinnickinnic Avenue, the Avalon Theater has met many milestones including opening its doors as a vaudeville theater, screening some of the first original films, and becoming the first talking film theater in the state of Wisconsin. These great milestones have not only brought a cultural impact and opened the doors to a wide range of diversity along Kinnickinnic, but Avalon Theater has helped boost Bay View into becoming the high-end, fast-growing place to live. Since reopening their doors back in 2013, after being closed for 15 years, Avalon Theater has kept up with the high-end demands of Bay View with its own multi million dollar renovation, debuting a sit-down dining service with a wide selection menu, a full-service bar, brand new reclining seats, restoring the original Avalon theater design, and creating a Granada, Spain-inspired setting for all movie lovers to enjoy. |
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No matter which form of transportation someone wishes to use, Kinnickinnic Avenue greets any passerby with a sense of an everlasting charm and history with so many of its buildings restored to their original style. Kinninickinnic speaks loudly to its roots of being “The Gateway” into what we know now as Milwaukee. Whether it is the new floors styled like the original, the historically restored columns, or the large, glass encased memorabilia with items dating back to the 1920's, people are embraced with a feeling of stepping back into time upon entering through Avalon Theater’s brightly lit glass entry doors. Continuing that feeling of stepping back into time, people are provided a presence of comfort and warmth as they pour into the brightly light grand lobby with high ceilings, lively color pallet, empowering smell of popcorn, and strong architectural detailing. This detailing is continued beyond the lobby into the long, narrow, and spacious hallways that encourage people to interact with one another. The ornate details on the doors, lighting fixtures, and walls bring the feeling of comfort, warmth, elegance, and historic presence full circle. Last, but certainly not least, people are hit with an overwhelming sense of awe as they enter upon the palatial grand theater. The grand theater leaves people awestruck as so many have never been in such a large, detailed, ornate, and historical place. Although i seems overwhelming as there is a lot to take in, there is also a great sense of comfort with the modern leather reclining chairs, full-service in-theater delicious food, and high end cinema technology with top of the line acoustics that you would have to hear to believe.
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Project 1
When one exits the Green Line bus on Lincoln and
south Kinnickinnic Ave in the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee, the area is the busy and dynamic streetscape that has artfully combined the old and the new. Bayview was once its own village and was annexed to be a part of Milwaukee in 1886. The area was settled by working class English, Scottish, Welsh, German, Irish, and Polish. In the past, the steel rolling mills dominated the local economy; now the neighborhood has been revitalized due to its proximity to Lake Michigan and thriving Downtown Milwaukee. One building, in particular, seems to link the modern character of Bayview to its dynamic past. The Avalon Theater, built in 1929 was established to be an entertainment venue for the working class people. Like many theaters built during this time, the Avalon Theater, was meant to be an experience and an escape from everyday life. In addition to showing movies, it was an atmospheric theater that transported the patrons into another world featuring an artificial, starry night sky in the auditorium and ornate Mediterranean style decoration throughout the entire building. The Avalon was the first theater in Wisconsin designed for the incorporation of sound. It was also originally planned to include a third floor ballroom and basement bowling alley. The theater quickly became a center of neighborhood activity from its establishment in the 1920’s until it closed in the 1990’s. The building sat vacant for about fifteen years, falling into disrepair. This was not uncommon among other movie palaces in the Milwaukee area. Many of which were lost to the wrecking ball. Fortunately, new ownership has allowed the theater to return to its former glory and continue to provide entertainment to a new generation of people. It is now one of the last atmospheric movie theaters left in Milwaukee which is an attraction for people looking for an alternative movie experience. In contrast with its working class roots, Bayview is now a quiet, middle class neighborhood with a clear and celebrated connection to the past. Today, Bayview is a popular destination for shopping and entertainment. Many of the surrounding businesses are locally owned restaurants, bars, boutiques, record stores, and other shops. The restored Avalon Theater houses a restaurant and bar which fits into that narrative of Bayview. As well as connecting to the neighborhood spirit, the building itself retains the character of the surrounding architecture. The Avalon Theater is a small two-story building not unlike many of the neighboring buildings. However, the 1920’s style marquee, in spirit of the original, which illuminates the neighborhood, calls out this landmark to passersby preserving the unique character of Bayview. |
Located in the heart of Milwaukee’s prominent and trendy
neighborhood of Bayview, Avalon Theater boasts elegance, grace, and unique sense of beauty to the ever-growing economy. Whether it’s the massive piers once topped with terra cotta urns, the soaring arch flanked by twisted concrete columns, or the original wrought iron chandelier with its candle lamps and colored glass jewels, Avalon Theater has stood the test of time for the last 86 years. Through influencing many generations along the historic Kinnickinnic Avenue, Avalon Theater has met many milestones including opening its doors as a vaudeville theater, screening some of the first original films, and becoming the first talking film theater in the state of Wisconsin. These great milestones have not only brought a cultural impact and opened the doors to a wide range of diversity along Kinnickinnic, but Avalon Theater has helped boost Bayview into becoming the high-end, fast-growing place to live. Since reopening their doors back in 2013, after being closed for 15 years, Avalon Theater has kept up with the high-end demands of Bayview with its own multimillion dollar renovation, debuting a sit-down dining service with a wide selection menu, a full-service bar, brand new reclining seats, restoring the original Avalon theater design, and creating a Granada, Spain-inspired setting for all movie lovers to enjoy. No matter which form of transportation someone wishes to use, Kinnickinnic Avenue greets any passerby with a sense of an everlasting charm and history with so many of its buildings restored to their original style. Kinninickinnic speaks loudly to its roots of being “The Gateway” into what we know now as Milwaukee. Whether it is the new floors styled like the original, the historically restored columns, or the large, glass encased memorabilia with items dating back to the 1920s, people are embraced with a feeling of stepping back into time upon entering through Avalon Theater’s brightly lit glass entry doors. Continuing that feeling of stepping back into time, people are provided a presence of comfort and warmth as they pour into the brightly light grand lobby with high ceilings, lively color pallet, empowering smell of popcorn, and strong architectural detailing. This detailing is continued beyond the lobby into the long, narrow, and spacious hallways that encourage people to interact with one another. The ornate details on the doors, lighting fixtures, and walls bring the feeling of comfort, warmth, elegance, and historic presence full circle. Last, but certainly not least, people are hit with an overwhelming sense of awe as they enter upon the palatial grand theater. The grand theater leaves people awestruck as so many have never been in such a large, detailed, ornate, and historical place. Although it seems overwhelming as there is a lot to take in, there is also a great sense of comfort with the modern leather reclining chairs, full-service in-theater delicious food, and high end cinema technology with top of the line acoustics that you would have to hear to believe. |
Project 2
Bayview’s Avalon Theater is situated in Milwaukee’s
south side along the Green line bus route. It is a historic 1920’s movie palace not unlike other theaters in Milwaukee. In order to understand this historic building and its unique qualities, one might turn to mapping. One of the first maps one may look at is a neighborhood activity node map displayed below. A quality one might perceive from this map is how the theater, in red, seems to connect to different commercial activity centers, in green. Another map one may look at is a zoning map. From this map, one may conclude that this theater is situated along a major thoroughfare, based on how the lots are situated and where the main commercial activity takes place. One can also see different collections of building use. The figure ground shows the density of built space in the surrounding area. It’s easy to see where open spaces exist and where major thoroughfares are and how the built environment has filled in around them. Theaters used to be widespread across the Milwaukee area. The theater map shows the locations of many former movie palaces. The dark blue circles represent movie palace buildings that are still standing, yet have been repurposed. The light blue represents theaters that still show movies to this day. The red circles are theaters that have been demolished and the purple represents modern cinema complexes. The next map documents working class income over time in the Bayview area. The amount of spending money people have affects the kind of entertainment they choose to enjoy. The maps show a correlation between the income of the local individuals and the theater’s operation. People had less money to spend on the movies around the same time the theater closed in 2000. The Sanborn maps serve to show how surrounding buildings have filled in over time. The plot of land on which the theater currently sits used to be almost entirely unbuilt. Buildings have filled in over time and the Avalon took its place in 1929. The last map documents modern working class entertainment and its proximity to the Avalon Theater. The map is broken up into the six categories of bars, cafes, parks, museums, comedy, and music. A lot of the activity is concentrated along Kinnickinnic Avenue. The success of all of these places are directly related to patronage by the surrounding neighborhood people. The Avalon Theater is situated along a vibrant avenue of entertainment, business, eateries, and a culture unique to Bayview residents. This collection of maps indicates the Avalon Theater’s importance as a hub that has transcended generations and connected people and places alike. |
Evolving, transforming, and staying current has become
some of Avalon Theater’s greatest strengths and themes. For the last 86 years, Avalon Theater has been able to stand the test of time with keeping up with all of the hottest trends. From being one of the first vaudeville theaters in Milwaukee, being the first talking theater in Wisconsin, to currently having a beautifully restored theater experience with luxurious seating and sound, Avalon theater has had it all. As seen in the building historical maps, we are able to understand and see some of the changes that Avalon Theater has gone through. Although the seating capacity has drastically dropped from over 2000 seats down to only about 300, Avalon Theater has been able to give people more room with bigger seats that recline and are much more comfortable due to the soft leather, compared to the cast-iron chairs with old fabric that previously existed. Also, along with the luxurious seating, comes the state of the art sounds and acoustics. As seen in the building sound map, Avalon theater boast arguably better sound than any of the modern new cinemas going in today. Many of today’s modern theaters have very thin walls in which people are able to hear the sounds echoing into their theater from the theater next door. The current owner, Lee Barczak tried his best to prevent this. He was successful in preventing this by putting in multiple layers of special materials with particle board’s in-between giving it a two foot thickness. Also lowering the ceiling and adding special sound absorbing fabrics prevents echoing within he theater; giving everyone a quality sound experience. So next time you sit in the palace theater watching a heartfelt, romantic comedy, you won’t have to hear the final showdown of some heroic blockbuster film next door. Same goes with the building demographic map. Although as a country, movie theater attendance has dropped over the years, people still do go to the movies and enjoy themselves. In the 1970’s going to the movie theaters were what people did on a regular basis. With modern amenities that allow people to watch movies from home, there has definitely been a drastic demographic change. Due to this demographic change over the years, new research has been done and now currently shows that certain movie times are still more popular than others as well as certain age groups and women are more prone to go to the movies. Prime time (typically between 6:30pm and 8pm) on a Friday or Saturday night has become the most popular time in which movie theaters across the nation have the highest attendance. One way that Avalon Theater has been successful in keeping the demographics up is by serving the community. As seen in the served versus service map, we can see how many different locations Avalon Theater is able to serve its’ customers. The bar provides relaxation and a night hotspot, the concession stand provides your traditional theater foods and beverages, as well as the fully equipped large kitchen that provides an intheater eating experience. All of these great service areas are successful as Lee Barczak has taken account for the current neighborhood demographics. Knowing the community at large and what they want is vital in order for any movie theater to keep up with the modern applications such as Netflix and Hulu. Due to its’ fairly quiet location on Kinnickinnic Avenue, comes its’ positives and negatives. As seen in the neighborhood sound map, there is quite a distance between commercialized buildings within the area. Having the separation prevents from any form of nearby competition for Avalon Theater. However, with that said, people do have to travel quite a ways to get to Avalon Theater just to watch a film. If people do make the trek to Avalon Theater they will not be disappointed. There is no rival bar or theater experience close by for people to get up and leave Avalon Theater for. As stated previously, Avalon Theater has so many great amenities to offer any customer. Although Avalon Theater is surrounded by mainly residential buildings, the materials and structural system of the building prevents from sound interfering and disrespecting the neighbors. Part of knowing the demographics of the people within the neighborhood is also understanding and respecting other buildings within the neighborhood. Seen in the Entertainment Connections Map, we are able to see where other commercial buildings such as restaurants, cafes, bars, and small local businesses are located. Many of these local businesses are pretty spread out from each other and located in old historic homes that have been converted into business spaces. Since historic Kinnickinnic Avenue has always been a place for people of diversity to open their own business, Avalon Theater has walked that fine line of doing what it needs to in order to stay in business as well as not taking away from other local business’s. The respect that Avalon Theater has given its’ community has definitely paid off as it has gotten a lot of recognition and dedicated, loyal customers that continue to comeback. In all, the Bayview neighborhood is proud to have Avalon Theater and Avalon Theater is proud to be a part of the rich history of Bayview and Kinnickinnic Avenue. |
Project 3
NARRATIVE:
As architecture students, meeting with Terry Tayler, the general manager, was a very important dialogue. It was important because we were able to experience the Avalon Theater through the mind of someone not involved with the realm of architecture. Originally from Illinois, Terry first came up to Milwaukee when he went to UWM for college. After college he worked at Regal Cinemas in the Chicago area until he became tired of the corporate atmosphere. He then applied to work at the Avalon when it was first being developed. One of the biggest assets of the Avalon Theater is the neighborhood. When we talked to him, Terry mentions how Bayview is very similar to Brooklyn, just because how involved the residents are with culture and arts. Terry mentions also how he experiences the Bayview neighborhood. In addition to working at the Avalon, Terry spends time at many of the local bars and restaurants. Because of that local devotion to arts, the Avalon frequently sells out events for cult films, anime movies, and classic movies. When talking about other movie theaters, Terry maintains that the Avalon Theater is a unique movie experience. In the interview, he calls the Avalon, “the movie buff’s Movie Theater”. From his experience at other movie venues he mentions how some of the patrons are on their phones or not paying attention during screenings, the customers at the Avalon tend to be more interested in the arts as well as a more adult crowd. That combined with the theater’s interior which is inspired by Mediterranean Villas, really makes the Avalon a unique movie experience. The Avalon is also a very community oriented business. The theater will often host school field trips. In addition to educational events, the Avalon hosts a number of fundraisers as well. They recently held a campaign fundraiser for a local politician. One of the most interesting ways they have given back to the community is when they give away free tickets. Recently, for the premier of Star Wars, the theater gave away 200 tickets to members of the community. Since our conversation with Terry, we saw that working at the Avalon was more than just a job for him and, it was a way to get involved and give back to a cool community. It was also more apparent that the building was far more than just a theater, but a setting where people can have a memorable experience that is unique compared to the typical movie going experience. SUMMARY: The Avalon Theater has become an epicenter for neighborhood culture, historical reminiscence, and contemporary entertainment. Over the years it has been an enduring place in which the working class individual could take his or her family for a little extravagance and entertainment. Though the theater was, at one time, in a state of disrepair, its recovery and renovation help to substantiate its ability to serve the community throughout different times and successfully cater to multiple generations. The Avalon is just one building along the dynamic streetscape in Bayview, and wouldn’t be as successful as it is without the vibrant neighborhood that surrounds it. Settled by working class English, Scottish, Welsh, German, Irish, and Polish people, Bayview was an industrial village dominated by steel rolling mills and other industry. The Avalon Theater was perhaps always a symbol of hard-earned indulgence, luxury, and service for the whole family. However, what sets the Avalon apart from other theaters has always been its attention to the unique experience it provides. In contrast with its working class roots, Bayview is now a quiet, middle class neighborhood with a clear and celebrated connection to the past. Today, Bayview is a popular destination for shopping and entertainment. Many of the surrounding businesses are locally owned restaurants, bars, boutiques, record stores, and other shops. The restored Avalon Theater houses a restaurant and bar which fits into that narrative of Bayview. As well as connecting to the neighborhood spirit, the building itself retains the character of the surrounding architecture. The Avalon Theater is a small two-story building not unlike many of the neighboring buildings. However, the 1920’s style marquee, in spirit of the original, which illuminates the neighborhood, calls out this landmark to passersby preserving the unique character of Bayview. An architect wishing to build along this vibrant street need only take the time to patronize and experience the local shops, restaurants, and of course, the Avalon to get a sense of the area and the culture of Bayview. Atmospheric night sky and shooting stars dance over the heads of those enjoying the auditorium. In addition, General Manager Terry Tayler explained another reason the Avalon is different from corporate or chain theaters. The Avalon is free to hold special events and to provide specialty programming whenever they see fit. Cult classics, independent films, and other unique flicks are regularly shown and are a big hit. Weddings have even been held in the large auditorium of the Avalon. The Avalon is a big part of the community and has become not only a place to see a film, but to go and hang out. Friendly like-minded movie buffs, hungry passersby, and the average family all regularly come together to meet and enjoy a charming amenity that Bayview has fortunately preserved. The Avalon Theater’s importance is as a hub that has transcended generations and connected people and places alike. |
Evolving, transforming, and staying current has remained
as Avalon Theaters’ greatest strength. Merging the cultural demographics and desires, have influenced people to support Avalon Theaters’ local business approach. The local approach has captured the loyalty of its patrons for many generations and decades. Through impacting many generations along the historic Kinnickinnic Avenue, Avalon theater has made many milestones including opening its doors as a vaudeville theater, screening some of the first original films, becoming the first talking film theater in the state of Wisconsin, to being the last remaining atmospheric theater in the Milwaukee area. The strong and diverse amenities at Avalon Theater, not only helps people come back for more, but draws in a large variety of people. From the large atmospheric theater, to the quiet bar and lounge, it makes for a long lasting, yet ever changing experience for all patrons. To keep up with the current culture and competitors, Avalon Theater made drastic seating changes from the atmospheric theater having small uncomfortable chairs that seated around 2,200 people to 218 large, reclining leather chairs with built in tables. These large, leather reclining chairs are continued onto the “black box”, minimalistic backstage theater; taking on a more modern twist to the existing building. To top off the modern amenities of the backstage theater, they acquired high end cinema technology with top of the line acoustics that you would have to hear to believe. Not only does Avalon Theater have modern amenities to keep up with its’ competitors, but it also has the old, historic charms such as the massive piers once topped with terra cotta urns, the soaring arch flanked by twisted concrete columns, and the original wrought iron chandelier with its candle lamps and colored glass jewels to stand out from the rest. Also, by staying with the old world charm, Avalon Theater upgraded and multiplied the amount of the large lightbulbs that filled the starry sky ceiling by 1000% to LED’s; creating a Granada, Spain-inspired setting for all movie lovers to enjoy. Keeping with the vibe of old and new, Avalon Theater’s Bar and Lounge has its’ own sense of charm that brings a quiet, intimate sense of environment. Keeping with the historic and modern theme, the high-end recessed lighting and electronics blend effortlessly with the exposed historic bricks and architecture. Not only are the amenities ever-changing, but the special events offers a whole new meaning to a theater experience. The special events include monthly experiences such as March Manga Madness and Anti-hero April; screening for the Super Bowl, baseball opening day, variety of award shows, holiday screening events, as well as Second Saturday Classic series which includes admission, breakfast, mimosa, and mixed pastries all for $15; which have become very popular with the diversity of the neighborhood. These kinds of special events the neighborhood loves and won’t be seen anywhere else. Along with having all of these special events, Avalon Theater provided special beverages and snacks that followed the theme of the event. These kinds of special events have gotten so popular that they sell out not only one, but both theaters. Helping to keep people coming back and attracting a modern audience, Avalon Theater is strongly active in social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. Avalon Theater keeps the local vibe going by partnering with local businesses such as Milwaukee Record and Lakefront Brewery. Having survived over many generations, Avalon Theater has been a home to many diverse patrons who have strongly supported the local business with great pride. Summary 1: As the head of construction, Andy Farrel has had a large part in the historical restoration and renovation of Avalon Theater. The 10 month long process of repairing, restoring, renovating, and rediscovering had been a long process, but Andy definitely believes it was well worth every up and down along the way. Although Avalon Theater has many modern updates and upgrades from its’ previous design, he is a strong advocate for historical preservation. He told us that before any sledgehammer went into a wall or anything was thrown out, he made sure he had the final approval for doing so. Rather than putting in several new structural systems across the theater, Andy was very adamant about restoring and fixing the historical beams and columns. Not only was Andy adamant about the historical components of the building, but many loyal customers who have been attending the theater for many decades also feel strongly about the historical presence. Diving into the rich history of Avalon Theater, Andy told us about the many different ways the theater transformed over the years. Starting in 1929, the building was initially bought and transformed into a theater. The original owner spent five years renovating the building. As soon as he was done renovating it, he sold the building immediately. Although the theater initially opened as a Vaudeville Theater, it quickly transformed in 1935 to a movie theater. According to Andy, in the early 1940’s it was one of the first talking movie theaters in the state of Wisconsin. Moving forward in history, the theater underwent its’ first major renovation in the mid-1950s. This renovation particularly had a very Art Deco/Mid Century design to it. It was not until the 1980s that backstage theater was added. Unfortunately, like many other movie theaters across United States, Avalon Theater took a big hit and eventually closed down in 1991. It was not until 2006 that the current owner, Lee Barczak, bought the theater. Rather than opening it right away, he took some time and worked with a team to develop a new strategy for the renovation process. “If you put a frog in boiling water it will jump out, if you turn the water up slowly it will die,” is the logic that Andy and the rest of the team used to develop a way to keep people coming back to the movie theater over the years. By gradually making changes to accommodate the current culture, Avalon Theater was able to be successful for many decades. Currently, Avalon Theater’s main technique to keep the current culture coming back and staying at the theater, is by creating an overall experience. This overall experience includes the bar and lounge area, the two main screens, as well as the dine-in experience throughout the theater. They also have plans to develop a restaurant experience next-door. By having all of these different experiences, it helps persuade people to stay longer, come for different experiences, and attract a much wider audience. Besides having an array of amenities within the building, Avalon Theater hosts a wide variety of events to attract people of all different backgrounds. Some events have included a viewing party for the Academy Awards, A month long anime experience, as well as bringing back older movies. By catering to a wide variety of audiences, it helps bring in people that would typically go to a big box movie theater, according to him. |
Project 4
Can not find on t-drive
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Monograph: Introduction
Located in the heart of Milwaukee’s prominent and trendy neighborhood of Bayview, Avalon Theater boasts elegance, grace, and unique sense of beauty to the ever-growing economy. Whether it’s the massive piers once topped with terra cotta urns, the soaring arch flanked by twisted concrete columns, or the original wrought iron chandelier with its candle lamps and colored glass jewels, Avalon Theater has stood the test of time for the last 86 years. Through influencing many generations along the historic Kinnickinnic Avenue, Avalon Theater has met many milestones including opening its doors as a vaudeville theater, screening some of the first original films, and becoming the first talking film theater in the state of Wisconsin. These great milestones have not only brought a cultural impact and opened the doors to a wide range of diversity along Kinnickinnic, but Avalon Theater has helped boost Bayview into becoming the high-end, fast-growing place to live. Since reopening their doors back in 2013, after being closed for 15 years, Avalon Theater has kept up with the high-end demands of Bayview with its own multimillion dollar renovation, debuting a sit-down dining service with a wide selection menu, a full-service bar, brand new reclining seats, restoring the original Avalon theater design, and creating a Granada, Spain-inspired setting for all movie lovers to enjoy. No matter which form of transportation someone wishes to use, Kinnickinnic Avenue greets any passerby with a sense of an everlasting charm and history with so many of its buildings restored to their original style. Kinninickinnic speaks loudly to its roots of being “The Gateway” into what we know now as Milwaukee. Whether it is the new floors styled like the original, the historically restored columns, or the large, glass encased memorabilia with items dating back to the 1920s, people are embraced with a feeling of stepping back into time upon entering through Avalon Theater’s brightly lit glass entry doors. Continuing that feeling of stepping back into time, people are provided a presence of comfort and warmth as they pour into the brightly light grand lobby with high ceilings, lively color pallet, empowering smell of popcorn, and strong architectural detailing. This detailing is continued beyond the lobby into the long, narrow, and spacious hallways that encourage people to interact with one another. The ornate details on the doors, lighting fixtures, and walls bring the feeling of comfort, warmth, elegance, and historic presence full circle. Last, but certainly not least, people are hit with an overwhelming sense of awe as they enter upon the palatial grand theater. The grand theater leaves people awestruck as so many have never been in such a large, detailed, ornate, and historical place. Although it seems overwhelming as there is a lot to take in, there is also a great sense of comfort with the modern leather reclining chairs, full-service in-theater delicious food, and high end cinema technology with top of the line acoustics that you would have to hear to believe. |