PEORIA — For decades, the Madison Theater was the anchor to Peoria entertainment, especially Downtown.
Built in 1920 for vaudeville acts, the 1,700-seat theater changed with the times, hosting films and comedians, such as Tommy Chong and Sam Kinison, but most notably becoming a venue for concerts. Such diverse acts as Ray Charles, B.B. King, REO Speedwagon, Three Dog Night, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and Mudvayne have performed there.
“It was such an integral part, such an anchor to the Downtown night life. That dried up after 2003,” said promoter Jay Goldberg, founder of Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment, on Sunday, reminiscing about his involvement with the theater. Nightclubs and restaurants used to line Downtown streets, he said, and the Madison was a focal point.
Fires that began late Saturday caused damage the Fire Department estimated at $500,000. A cause of those fires still is under investigation, according to a release from the Peoria Fire Department.
Crews responded about 11 p.m. to the theater, 107 NE Madison Ave., on a report of smoke coming from building. Heavy smoke was pouring from the roof, vents and upper story windows when firefighters arrived, the release said.
The firemen (sic) found fire on and around the stage area and extinguished them before moving to the basement and finding several more small fires. No more fires were found, but firefighters had to battle heavy smoke and intense heat throughout.
No injuries were reported.
Windows were knocked out to vent the building. Those windows, Goldberg said, were to his office when he ran his business from the Madison, from the mid-1990s until it was closed.
“There was such a wide variety of entertainers who performed there. There’s so much history in that theater,” he said.
In total, 35 firefighters were on the scene, with the last leaving about 2:05 a.m. Sunday.
The building remains intact structurally, the Fire Department release said.
That was good news to Bill Ordaz, president of the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation.
“My God, it’s on the National Register. It is a critical part of Peoria,” he said. “It still has potential. Hopefully, it’s not a total loss.”
The theater was built for the performing arts and concerts, Ordaz said. It was one of the only viable alternatives to the Civic Center. It had a shallow stage, Ordaz said, but the accoustics “sounded so perfect in the theater, the effects were so spectacular,” Goldberg said.
The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal database of protected structures, in 1980. In 2013, Landmarks Illinois announced the theater was among the state’s 10 most endangered historic places.
The foundation raised $50,000 in a campaign years ago to save the Madison, which was closed to the public in 2003, after city inspectors determined it would need several safety upgrades, including a sprinkler system and an elevator, as well as electrical and roof work. But competition for donors’ dollars then was intense, he said.
A spokesman for the Comfort family trust, which owns the Madison and properties on Main Street, could not be reached for comment Sunday. In December, the Journal Star reported officials with the trust were put in contact with a Chicago developer, with possible plans to refurbish the Madison for modern concerts and build a hotel on Main Street.
Anthony Smith can be reached at 686-3258 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyPJStar.
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