MILWAUKEE — Pabst Theater Group’s modern venue will debut in early 2024 on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The 450-seat entertainment venue, dubbed “Vivarium,” will be located at 1818 N. Farwell Ave.
“Vivarium is a Latin word literally meaning ‘place of life,’ and that is exactly what we intend to create with this new venue,” said Gary Witt, president and CEO of Pabst Theater Group.
The modern venue features “dialed in sound, great sightlines, natural cream city brick, wood walls made from 100-year-old trees from Northern Wisconsin, skylights open to the Milwaukee night sky and a natural feeling main room filled with live greenery.”
Vivarium will also feature a blade sign that dawns its name on the building’s facade. The venue will include an on-street parklet for bicycle parking.
Back-of-house amenities for performers include a secure load-in space, laundering and green rooms.
“This venue is a big win for the 3rd District. Not only is this a great additional asset to Milwaukee’s thriving music scene, but this will also be a safe space where our youth can hang out and socialize,” District 3 Alderman Jonathan Brostoff said.
Architecture and urban design firm Kubala Washatko Architects is working to redesign the space. Pabst Theater Group said the environment will aim to build a community both indoors and outside.
“We want to transform the space so that it looks and feels unlike anything else, a club setting that completely defies expectations,” said Chris Socha of Kubala Washatko Architects. “The experience will reveal itself in layers starting with an enhanced pedestrian space that brings positive energy to the public realm. Upon entry, guests will be immersed in a truly living space, where an industrial aesthetic of brick and steel meets the lush serenity of real plants and greenery.”
The Pabst Theater Group released renderings of the exterior of its modern venue, Vivarium, as it began construction earlier this week. (Pabst Theater Group)
“It will be a living, breathing space, filled with plants and creative energy — encapsulating the vibrancy of Milwaukee’s East Side. Live music venues will continue to lead the way in making Milwaukee a great place for developers to build hotels and apartments, companies to relocate and for people to choose to live here,” Witt added.
Construction began this week. General Contractor Findorff is serving as the builder and partner for the venue.
Vivarium will replace The Back Room @ Colectivo, which is set to close at the end of 2023.
“In the nearly eight years since we’ve opened The Back Room, we’ve discovered how much it has added to and helped grow the Milwaukee club scene. It’s all-ages experience helped to open doors for many younger bands and their fans, giving them a place to gather and to share their passions,” Witt said. “Vivarium will be a continuation of The Back Room’s efforts, working to compliment an already thriving small venue ecosystem that includes Cactus Club, Shank Hall, Linneman’s, X-Ray Arcade, the Cooperage [and others] by creating more space for the Milwaukee community to gather and artists [local and national] to perform.”
Kelsey Kaufmann, owner of Cactus Club, said she believes Vivarium will make a positive impact on Milwaukee’s tiny club scene.
“We’ve needed a room of this size for a while,” Kaufmann said. “We’re building a culture of camaraderie in Milwaukee across venues, genres and artistic disciplines. The Cactus team is excited to collaborate with Pabst Theater Group on shows and events in the years ahead.”
