When I was growing up in Peoria there were three movie theaters downtown, The Rialto, The Palace and The Madison Theater.
The Rialto was torn down in the late ‘70’s to make way for the Peoria Civic Center. The Palace Theater closed in 1980 and Peoria’s Twin Towers now stands in that location after that theater was torn down. The Madison Theater is the only classic Peoria movie theater that is still standing.
It’s been out of operation since 2002 after it was transformed from a movie theater to a concert hall. From 1996 to 2002 musical artists played shows there and some of the concerts starred diverse acts such as: Ray Charles, The Smashing Pumpkins, REO Speedwagon, The Elvis Brothers, Fiona Apple, Todd Rundgren, Govt' Mule, and Mudvayne.
They’re currently in the process of renovating the theater and it’s scheduled to hopefully re-open in the future, which is really exciting!
You can hear discussions on the progress from this WCBU program and you can check out their website and facecrack page for details and progress on the theater.
Till then, here’s some photos and information about this historic Peoria theater below.
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MADISON PHOTOS FROM THE PAST
Here’s some photos from the front of the building featuring the iconic “Madison” sign.
This looks like the theater from back in Peoria’s vaudeville days.
There’s the box office and the elegant front entrance to the movie theater in downtown Peoria.
Here’s a couple black and white shots of the interior and movie screen at the Madison Theater.
Check out these three color shots of the inside of the theater.
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In 2018 I took some photos of the theater and they’re fatured below.
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MADISON THEATER - MAY - 2018
Check out the jazzy mural on the side of the building.
There’s a corner shot and a full on portrait of the entire building housing the Madison Theater.
I took some close ups of the Madison sign which is in some disprepair.
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September 30, 2023 - The Blockbuster Bash for The Madison Theater
Last September there was a super-fun blockbuster bash/party/festival/concert to help support the renovation of The Madison Theater in beautiful downtown Peoria.
I went and of course took a ton of photos and some of them are below and you can see the full post by clicking here.
This mural on the side of the wall of the Madison Theatre was drawn and created by local artist, Jeremy Berkley.
He did a great job and what a fantastic new piece of original art for downtown Peoria!
Here’s a bunch of the smiling faces in attendance who were kind enough to pose for the ever-present MBIP Camera!
Here’s a shot of the theater which still needs a lot of work and hopefully soon it’ll be open to the public again!
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The Madison Preservation Association
502 Main Street
Peoria
309-431-1612
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Related Posts: Meanwhile, Back In Peoria’s Past: Bergan/Notre Dame High School, Peoria’s Irish Pubs and Sandy’s Drive-In.