Speculation that buyers are likely to be out-of-towners:
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2015/01/exclusive-mecca-floor-for-sale-historic-milwaukee.html?ana=e_mil_bn_exclusive&u=vkWD07fFIIz237t8GYIQAhf%2FFe6&t=1421082856
Does MU have any interest in it? Do they have a facility it would work with? (Rec center? Old Gym?) I assume it will not work the AL (unless they have a second basketball floor upstairs)
Otherwise, a sports bar or restaurant should buy it. If they are two stories tall, they can hang it on the wall. Otherwise, they can make it their restaurant floor (with plexiglass on top of it to protect it).
Quote from: Heisenberg on January 12, 2015, 02:28:25 PM
Does MU have any interest in it? Do they have a facility it would work with? (Rec center? Old Gym?) I assume it will not work the AL (unless they have a second basketball floor upstairs)
Otherwise, a sports bar or restaurant should buy it. If they are two stories tall, they can hang it on the wall. Otherwise, they can make it their restaurant floor (with plexiglass on top of it to protect it).
There is a big, two-story brick wall in the staircase at The Annex leading down to the bar/restaurant. That would be a great place for it. But honestly, I wouldn't want the school to spend any money on it.
Pony up, alums!
It would be cool if they could figure out a way to incorporate it into the new arena.
Quote from: Litehouse on January 12, 2015, 02:47:38 PM
It would be cool if they could figure out a way to incorporate it into the new arena.
I always thought it would be cool if the new area had a "Hall of Fame" for MU and the Bucks in the new arena. Could be a good way to connect with the long-time fans and still be used as a gift shop with retro offerings. If the spaces is big enough the whole floor could be put down with glass protecting it. I'm not a designer but I would assume the space would have to be multi-functional and open if it was big enough for the whole floor.
Might a museum purchase it? It is by a famous artist. Shouldn't the Milwaukee Art Museum be on this?
The new Bucks owners need to buy it to preserve local Bball history (if they are honest about building their relationship with the city) - if they don't, we know not to trust them as nothing but modern carpetbaggers
<almost used teal>
Quote from: MU Fan in Connecticut on January 12, 2015, 03:37:25 PM
Shouldn't the Milwaukee Art Museum be on this?
That was my first thought. It'd be a shame if a Milwaukee icon like that doesn't get displayed in Milwaukee.
Quote from: Michael Kenyon on January 12, 2015, 03:44:37 PM
The new Bucks owners need to buy it to preserve local Bball history (if they are honest about building their relationship with the city) - if they don't, we know not to trust them as nothing but modern carpetbaggers
<almost used teal>
No teal, the new Bucks owners should purchase it and donate it to the Milwaukee art museum. If it sold for $20k in 2011, it's not a big ticket items for Lasry and Eden. They spent this much on jet fuel every month flying to Milwaukee to watch the Bucks play.
Bucks should buy it and incorporate its display in the new arena.
Let's start a GoFundMe and donate it to MU on behalf of the MU Nation.
Stipulation: The university cannot donate, sell, mutilate, or throw it away.
Quote from: Heisenberg on January 12, 2015, 06:10:26 PM
No teal, the new Bucks owners should purchase it and donate it to the Milwaukee art museum. If it sold for $20k in 2011, it's not a big ticket items for Lasry and Eden. They spent this much on jet fuel every month flying to Milwaukee to watch the Bucks play.
It was at mpm for a whole. I'm assuming the amount of space to properly display the floor makes it worthless to the milwaukee art musuem and would rather not have it. It sounds like the owner wants it to be displayed in whole.
Quote from: martyconlonontherun on January 12, 2015, 09:09:37 PM
It was at mpm for a whole. I'm assuming the amount of space to properly display the floor makes it worthless to the milwaukee art musuem and would rather not have it. It sounds like the owner wants it to be displayed in whole.
A basketball court is 94'x50'. If the goal is to display it whole, they greatly limits the amount of spaces that have room for this.
As was mentioned earlier, the best option might be the new stadium ... making it the floor of a Milwaukee sports hall of fame is a great idea.
How about in the new arena
Quote from: _____ on January 13, 2015, 08:51:23 AM
How about in the new arena
That would make perfect sense if Milwaukee's populace had a wider appreciation for art... now in a place like Seattle, that would be the perfect place to display a classic work of art in the local NBA arena that carries on the history of the franchise. But alas, Seattle doesn't have an NBA team, let alone one that has a legacy of being in Milwaukee.
Wait a second, I have an idea...
Here is a direct link to the Grantland Documentary:
http://grantland.com/features/30-for-30-shorts-mecca-the-floor-that-made-milwaukee-famous/
Well worth the watch.