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 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 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]
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]
There is an unused swimming pool in the basement.[13]
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.[14]
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.
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.[15]
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.[16]
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.[16][17] 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.
