The Rave/Eagles Club

The Rave/Eagles Club (commonly known as simply The Rave, formerly known as the Eagles Club[2][3] and Central Park Athletic Club and Entertainment Center[4] or commonly Central Park Ballroom) is a concert venue and landmark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"The Eagles Club" redirects here. For the fraternal organization, see Fraternal Order of Eagles.
For the Atlanta-based power pop band, see The Raves.

The Rave/Eagles Club
Exterior of venue, seen from Wisconsin Ave (c.2009)
Former namesEagles Club (1927-89)
Central Park Athletic Club and Entertainment Center (1989-94)
Address2401 W Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1827
LocationAvenues West
Seating typeGeneral Admission, Reserved Seating, VIP Seating, Theater Seating
Capacity3,500 (Eagles Ballroom)
1,800 (Rave Hall)
500 (Rave Bar)
1000 (Eagles Hall)
Construction
Broke groundApril 16, 1925 (1925-04-16)
OpenedSeptember 13, 1927 (1927-09-13)
Construction cost$2.6 million
ArchitectRussell Barr Williamson
General contractorImmel Construction
Website
Venue Website
Eagles Club
Built1926
ArchitectRussell Barr Williamson
Architectural style19th and 20th Century Revival (1924, 1927, 1939)
NRHP reference No.86002096
Added to NRHPJuly 29, 1986[1]

Divisions

The building is divided into 5 venues, making it theoretically possible to have six different acts playing at the same time.

The Eagles Ballroom
Krewella performing at The Eagles Ballroom in 2013.

The Eagles Ballroom is the building's showpiece, featuring a 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) oval wooden dancefloor, originally installed when the building was constructed, in addition to a large, old-fashioned domed ceiling and a stage on one side.[5] Originally a ballroom, it has hosted everything from boxing matches to concerts to ethnic dances. There is a second floor, with a row of balconies around the oval, from one side of the stage to the other.

The Ballroom hosts the most popular acts, and its history includes Bob Dylan (six times), Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Weezer, Morrissey, The Killers, The Offspring (nine times),[6] Bad Religion (five times),[7] The Grateful Dead, The White Stripes, Pantera, Fugazi, Matchbox Twenty, Green Day, Pierce The Veil, Shiny Toy Guns, Nine Inch Nails, Thirty Seconds to Mars, The Replacements, Paul Westerberg (solo), Social Distortion, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, Maroon 5, Korn, Twenty One Pilots, Kings of Leon, The Smashing Pumpkins, The All-American Rejects, Atreyu, No Doubt, Lamb of God, Robert Plant, Velvet Revolver, Rihanna, James Blunt, Phish, Slayer, Sublime with Rome, Infected Mushroom, Benny Benassi, My Chemical Romance, Nick Jonas & the Administration, All Time Low, Ed Sheeran, Kesha, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage and many others.

The Jonas Brothers performed their first major concert as a headliner here, and filmed portions of the show to use in the music video for their top ten single "When You Look Me In the Eyes."[8][9]

Jason Mraz also filmed an entire live DVD here, called Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom.

The music video for CKY's song Close Yet Far was shot at The Rave.

Certain interview clips from All Time Low's 2010 DVD, Straight to DVD were filmed on the roof of the building.

The Rave hosted ECW events in 2000 such as Hardcore Heaven in May and various ECW on TNN episodes.

The Rave Eagles Grand Ballroom currently hosts Milwaukee based combat sports promotions North American Fighting Championship (NAFC) MMA & Knockout Kings Kickboxing.

The Rave Hall

The Rave Hall on the main level is a large concert-style venue, second in size only to the Eagles Ballroom above it. Most national touring artists that visit Milwaukee have played here, including John Mayer, Sevendust, GWAR, Regina Spektor, moe., Tiësto, Seaway, Chiodos and Bob Weir.[10]

The Eagles Hall

The Eagles Hall, previously called the Basement, (or the Underground) is a Miami-style venue built in the basement of the building. Featuring a unique hardwood floor, it is often rented by members of the public for wedding receptions. It has hosted acts like the Buzzcocks, Owl City, Muse, Nickelback, Boys Like Girls, Fugazi, 3 Doors Down, Gov't Mule, and Third Eye Blind.[11]

The Rave Bar

The Rave Bar is a small intimate club.[5] Numerous acts have made their Wisconsin debut here, including Dave Matthews Band, Nirvana, Les Claypool, The Features, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth, Blink-182, Creed, Pearl Jam, Red Is The Sea, Cody Hansen, Unlimited Production Music-UPM (featuring: Ewill, Rob, Killah and Prod) and Tantric.[12]

The Rave Craft Beer Lounge

The Rave Vibe Room was designed to feature up and coming bands, similar to The Rave Bar, while also catering to DJ's.[13]

The Penthouse Lounge

On the concierge level (2nd level) and comfortably holds a group of 200 or so with a full bar, table seating, and an optional stage. Notable events include the Trevin SkyDiving incident.

Eagles Club

The Eagles Club was named to the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1986.[1] The club is a significant example of 19th and 20th century Revival architecture, especially from 1924, 1927, and 1939.


In March 2014, Dennis Munson Jr. died hours after his amateur debut as a kickboxer at Milwaukee's Eagles Club. An investigation by the Journal Sentinel uncovered a series of errors by the officials responsible for safety during the unregulated fight – part of the fast-growing world of combat sports.[14]

History

The Milwaukee Eagles' Aerie #137 was formed in 1901 by a group of actors, theater managers, and other stage men. It was the first Eagles lodge in the state. They met in a headquarters on Second Street until it burned, when they moved to 6th St. The aerie grew quickly and by 1925 was the second-largest Eagles chapter in the U.S.[15]

In 1925 the chapter broke ground on a new clubhouse. Russell Barr Williamson designed the building, five stories tall, with Mediterranean Revival styling. The walls are stone, framing three round-topped recessed windows above the front entrance. Near the top of the wall is a wide frieze with a relief sculpture of human-eagle forms, rather similar to Assyrian art. The roof is covered in tile, typical of the Mediterranean Revival style.[15][16] The grand opening for the Eagles Building was September 13, 1927.

Since its construction in 1926, the Eagles Club has known several incarnations. Prominently among them, it housed the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, a notable organization whose considerable impacts on America's cultural landscape remain in effect today. The Eagles pushed for the foundation of Mother's Day, provided the impetus for a national Social Security program, and campaigned to eliminate job discrimination on the basis of age. Notable former Eagles include Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. The building now operates as The Rave / Eagles Club, a purveyor of music to Milwaukee for twenty years.


References
  1. National Register Information System, National Register of Historic Places (search for "Eagles Club"). Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  2. "Eagles Club". UWM Libraries. 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  3. Kaczkowski, Manya (2010). Milwaukee's Historic Bowling Alleys. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738583785.
  4. "Remember When...the Eagles Club building was new?". Milwaukee Public Library. September 8, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  5. The Rave/Eagles Ballroom Review, Retrieved June 8, 2007
  6. "The Offspring - Tour". offspring.com. (Note: search for 'Milwaukee' in the Archive section). Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  7. "Bad Religion shows at The Rave". The Bad Religion Page. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  8. The Eagles Ballroom, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  9. All Music: The Jonas Brothers, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  10. The Rave Hall, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  11. The Eagles Hall, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  12. The Rave Bar, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  13. The Rave Vibe Room, Retrieved August 7, 2008
  14. "Death in the Ring: A Journal Sentinel Investigation into Unregulated Kickboxing". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  15. Robin D. Wenger; Carlen Hatala (1983). "Intensive Survey Form: Eagles Club". State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Retrieved 2019-08-19. With one photo.
  16. "Eagles Club". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
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