Miller High Life Theatre celebrates 115 years
For 115 years, Miller High Life Theatre has served as a backdrop for Milwaukeeans’ most cherished moments.
“When I was a kid… I had a friend who was a Civil War buff. The Milwaukee Symphony, which was pretty new at the time, held its concerts at the Auditorium….they were conducting a {Civil War} program. It was overpowering. The scale of the setting and the music. It was fun. I recall that fondly,” Milwaukee historian John Gurda said.
John Gurda, like many other Milwaukeeans, vividly remembers visiting the theater for events like the Holiday Folk Fair, the Sentinel Sports Show and graduation ceremonies for all three of his children.
The theater, originally called the Milwaukee Auditorium, opened in 1909 and was deemed Milwaukee’s original central gathering space. The Auditorium’s purpose was to provide an elegant place to entertain out-of-town guests and special visitors.
“It was certainly the center of Milwaukee’s celebratory civic life,” Gurda said.
In its first full year of operation, the Auditorium hosted:
- 188 meetings.
- 57 trade shows.
- 44 concerts and dances.
- 35 conventions.
- 13 lectures.
- Eight circuses.
By the 1920s, the Milwaukee Auditorium was the place to be and was dubbed “The Nation’s Meeting Place” in “America’s Best-Equipped Convention City.” From political conventions, prize fights, tennis matches, bullfights, ice shows, banquets, singing festivals and conventions, the Auditorium was home to any and all events that attracted a crowd.
As time went on, events began to outgrow the Auditorium. The Wisconsin Center District board knew they needed to make a change to continue booking the Auditorium into the future. The result: a rebirth of a new facility with a new name: the Milwaukee Theatre. The 4,100-seat theater maintained the timeless feel of the original design with new and improved features that visitors continue to enjoy today.
Since then, world-renowned acts like the Radio City Rockettes, Jerry Seinfeld, Dolly Parton, Disney’s “The Lion King,” Bob Dylan and Mariah Carey have packed the house.
While the theater may look a bit different than it did in 1909, its intended purpose remains:
A place to gather. A place where memories are made.
More coverage of Miller High Life Theatre’s 115th anniversary can be found on Miller High Life Theatre’s Facebook and Instagram.