Construction of the $420-million expansion of the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, the state’s largest convention center, is moving forward nearly a year after issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic put it on hold.
The project nearly doubles the size of the center by adding 112,000 sq ft. The expansion was halted in April 2020 due to uncertainty in the bond market and the loss of sales tax revenue in the pandemic-devastated travel and hospitality industries. Now, with hopes that the convention and travel industry will return in the not-too-distant future, the expansion has received the green light to proceed from the Wisconsin Center District, the state-created agency that operates the convention center and is selling bonds financing it.