EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published on Richland Source in 2016.
MANSFIELD — 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.
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.
