Bucks Offer Arena Sneak Peek to Season-Ticket Holders

Milwaukee Bucks' season-ticket holders were given their first look at the new Bucks arena Saturday in a tour that included a glimpse of the "Panorama Club," which will offer a bird's-eye view of the game.

The $524 million arena, which has been built with $250 million in taxpayer support, is scheduled to open in late summer.

The interior looks remarkably close to being finished, with 10,000 seats downstairs and 6,000 upstairs, the opposite of the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Perched near the building's rafters, the Panorama Club will be open to all ticket holders as a place to grab some food, drinks and an elevated view of the basketball court far below.

All but one of the arena's 34 private suites have been leased for the 2018-'19 Bucks season, team officials said Saturday.

Loft suites, accommodating between four and eight people, are sold out.

Something that stands out in the new arena is the wide-open view of the game from nearly anywhere. There are standing-room-only bars, for instance, where you will be able to socialize and still keep an eye on what's going on down on the court.

"I think the biggest thing that strikes me is the open concourses. You can see the game from anywhere," said Jordan Lopez, Bucks vice president of customer retention and premium hospitality.

"We have over 8,200 full-season seats sold going into the next season," Lopez said.

For the most part, fans will walk down to their seats, rather than up to them, as in the Bradley Center.

On the main concourse, a gleaming stainless-steel concession counter stretches more than 70 feet.

The Bucks promise that fans will be able to get their food and drink swiftly thanks to state of the art equipment in the arena's kitchens and the ability to cook in the concession stands, large and small, scattered throughout the building.

Stainless steel fixtures and other kitchen equipment are in place and they looked Saturday as if they are ready for action. There are stand-up tables and drink rails in place, and restroom signs have been hung.

Season-ticket holder Shawn Bartels of Waukesha toured the arena with his 12-year-old daughter, Ali. They are hard-core Bucks fans.

"We talk about basketball probably every day of the year. It's that important to us," Bartels said.

His seats will be a little farther from the court this year, but he's still pleased with the view.

"It's looking great, very awesome," he said about the arena.

Near the skywalk to the 1,000-car parking garage is a glass-walled store for Bucks jerseys and other fan attire.

The Bucks have chosen a diverse group of artists to create pieces for their new arena, efforts that will be complemented by the work of hundreds of area schoolchildren.

The group includes 32 artists, 22 with Wisconsin ties. Among them is Della Wells, a self-taught Milwaukee artist whose work has been displayed throughout the country and internationally.

Others include Margaret Muza, artist-in-residence at the Pfister Hotel, who specializes in tintype photography.

The Bucks expect to spend $2 million to $3 million on the arena art.

"This is a beautiful facility. I would describe it as world-class," said season-ticket holder Mark Ostendorf of Brookfield.

"It's one that is really going to put the Bucks in the spotlight. And it's going to be a tourist destination for the state of Wisconsin, with everything that it's going to bring in," Ostendorf said.

He was impressed with the open concourses and the natural lighting in the atrium.

"This arena has a classy look. It's going to help elevate Milwaukee as a city," Ostendorf said.

Thursday, Good City Brewing said it will open a taproom at a prime location in the entertainment block outside the arena.

The 11,000-square-foot taproom will be located in one half of a building along East Juneau Avenue and will include food. A second tenant is being sought for the south half of the building.

The announcement is an important milestone for the Bucks operation, which has been busy preparing the buildings and entertainment block, but faced delays in naming tenants.

The Bucks have indicated that additional tenants will be unveiled soon.

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