Swinging into action

Tri-North, BSI meet tight deadline for Marcus Majestic

When “Spider-Man 3” swung into theaters in summer 2007, crowds of young viewers joined legions of fans in getting snared in the story’s web.

So as Marcus Corp. developed its innovative Majestic Cinema in Brookfield, the push was on to open before opening weekend to provide a dramatic setting for the third Spider-Man installment.

With ground first broken in July 2006 and the movie set to debut in May 2007, those involved had an aggressive schedule to meet and the responsibility of launching Marcus Corp.’s new flagship theater.

Gary Berkley, senior project manager with Tri-North Builders Inc., said getting the job done on time took a go-with-the-flow attitude.

He said Tri-North built Marcus movie theaters in the past, but because this project was a new concept, it was still being designed while it was being built.

“It was the kind of project where you know you’re going to get changes all the way through,” Berkley said, “from changing restaurant equipment to changing restaurant designs.”

Careful coordination with everyone involved in the Majestic kept work moving ahead, and the theater opened in time for everyone’s favorite hero to save the day.

The 99,000-square-foot Majestic features 16 theaters, a venue for live performances, two restaurants, a day care facility and a full-service bar.

Even theaters pull double duty, functioning also as venues for corporate meetings or community events.

“They were interested in a vintage-type theater where people wouldn’t just come for a movie, but also to eat and socialize,” said Lisa Prost, senior interior designer for Building Service Inc., Milwaukee.

Kimberly Kowalczyk, interior architectural designer for BSI, said the variety of space in the Majestic opened the door to some striking design moves.

When first entering the building, movie-goers move through a tall foyer bathed in natural light.

As they approach the ticket counter, the ceiling drops sharply, creating a more intimate space and also blocking the view of what’s beyond the entry.

After moving past the counter, the eye sweeps across two elegantly curved staircases, a colorful balcony and a soaring 20-foot domed ceiling.

To the immediate left and right of the front lobby are a pizzeria parlor and an ice cream/coffee shop that break from the jewel-tones and art deco stylings of the main building.

Prost said the pizzeria was designed to take on an Italianate feel, while the ice cream/coffee shop is more playful, she said, meant to draw from the atmosphere of an old soda fountain.

The adult lounge has a more intimate tone, featuring wood laminate panels and a custom-built bar.

— Jennifer Pfaff