Then & Now: The Madison Theater 1946

People who grew up in Mansfield speak of the Madison Theater in such a way that you would think the place was still open for business. That is easy to understand: places lodged in the heart never go away — even when the site has been an empty lot for 30 years.

The Madison was one of those landmarks that never fades.

The Madison Theater in the 1970s.

Built in 1930, it was a movie house that served to entertain generations of Mansfielders from plush seats and a raked balcony.

After struggling through its last decade on Park Avenue, the grand old relic was finally torn down in 1986 and its site repurposed as a micro park for urban downtown.

Images come from the collections of the Richland Museum, and Richland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

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