MILWAUKEE _ Although the mammoth, sparkly new arena that will soon be home to the Milwaukee Bucks is nearly complete, visitors still must wear a hard hat and closed-toed shoes to enter. The untouched mirrors in the restrooms bear protective plastic and a sticker that reads: "Please remove this anti-scratch film before use." Green-and-white signs that say "Please do not walk on the courts" are positioned at every corner of the arena floor. Peter Feigin, the president of the Bucks, walked onto the court anyway.
Feigin supposes that he has given 100 of these arena tours _ to All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family, to center Thon Maker who wanted to touch every surface, to prospective season ticket holders, to nearly anyone who asks. On this Tuesday afternoon tour, he wore a forest-green Bucks T-shirt and custom Air Jordans with the Bucks logo embossed on the back, a birthday present he rarely gets the opportunity to show off. He is thrilled to be out of the stiff suit that his day job usually demands.
The construction of the $524 million arena that seats 17,500 and will open at the beginning of the 2018-19 season was a contingency of the 2014 sale of the Bucks to New York-based owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens. The building _ which began construction next to the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the Bucks' current home, after years of local political battles _ is an important milestone in the franchise's rebuilding effort. The Bucks hope it will help reshape the city's perception too.
Perhaps no NBA city is in greater need of a melting-pot meeting point than Milwaukee.
According to the 2010 national census, Milwaukee has the highest rate of segregation between blacks and whites of the 102 largest metropolitan cities in the country.
Feigin told the Wisconsin State Journal in 2016 that Milwaukee was "the most segregated, racist place I've ever experienced." While he didn't want to revisit those comments this week, Feigin said the new arena could help transform the city's downtown.
"I don't think this (arena) is a solution for racial harmony," he said. "But Milwaukee doesn't have a centralized meeting place. There are no parks in the middle of the city. By building this plaza, you've kind of orchestrated a meeting place."
"There are certainly obstacles and certainly a long way to go, but our message is this is a wonderful city. We are an organization that will speak out about injustice and we are also an organization that is focused on how we can solve problems."
