Historic Detroit

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Madison Theatre Building - Historic photos (exterior)

Madison Theatre Building

The Madison Theatre shortly after its opening

The Madison Theatre shortly after its opening

Photo from the Preservation Detroit archives

The Madison Theatre shortly after its opening
The Madison Theatre about 1926, when the Gladwin Building next door was being torn down to make way for what is now the Broderick Tower.
The Madison Theatre, with what is now the Detroit Opera House at back left
The Madison Theatre's original marquee was far smaller than its later replacement
Madison Theater, "THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR" starring Dean Stockwell and Pat O'Brien - 1948
Madison Theater, "JOLSON SINGS AGAIN" starring Larry Parks and Barbara Hale - 1949
Madison Theater, "THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH" by Paramount - 1952
Madison Theater, "DAVID AND BATHSHEBA" by 20th Century Fox - 1952
Madison Theater, "FROM HERE TO ETERNITY" by Columbia - 1953
Madison Theater, "THE GLEN MILLER STORY" by Universal - 1954
Madison Theater, "ME AND THE COLONEL" by Columbia - 1958
Madison Theater, "GONE WITH THE WIND" Re-issue - 1958
Madison Theater, "CAN CAN" starring Frank Sinatra - 1960
Madison Theater, "CAN CAN" starring Frank Sinatra - 1960
Madison Theater, "PEPE" starring Cantinflas - 1960
Madison Theater, "SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS" by Warner Bros - 1961
Madison Theater, "SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS" by Warner Bros - 1961
Renovated Madison Theater, "WEST SIDE STORY" - 1961
Renovated Madison Theater, "WEST SIDE STORY" - 1961
Madison Theater, "BABES IN TOYLAND" by Walt Disney - 1961
Madison Theater, "LAWRENCE OF ARABIA" by Columbia - 1962
Madison Theater, "LAWRENCE OF ARABIA" by Columbia - 1962
Madison Theater, "LAWRENCE OF ARABIA" by Columbia - 1962
Madison Theater, "BARABBAS" starring Anthony Quinn - 1962
The Madison Theatre in 1961, when it was showing "West Side Story." Its exterior "modernization" was still relatively new at this point.
Madison Theater, "THE SOUND OF MUSIC" starring Julie Andrews - 1965
The Madison Theatre in 1983, showing "Dead Zone" starring Christopher Walken
The Madison Theatre's marquee in the 1980s
The Madison Theatre marquee in the 1980s
The Madison Theatre Building during abandonment in the late 1980s or early 1990s
A view looking southwest from Y.M.C.A. building showing, from left, Hudson's, Penobscot Building, the David Stott Building under construction, the Madison Theatre, the Broderick Tower, David Whitney Building, Book Tower and Hotel Statler. The photo was taken Nov. 26, 1928.
The Madison Theatre Building, far left, showing its original exterior detail