Warren, nice photo! Thanks for sharing, that pretzel boy to the right appears again, as New York Dave has mentioned. This angle shows the Marinette Frocks store to the left, as in Dave’s photo.
Question:The frocks store appears to be integrated into Madison’s facade, was there any reason to suspect it was associated with the theater?
Another question: What store occupied the frock store’s space in Madison’s last days? I must assume a quaint establishment of this type would not last into the 70’s. Did Madison’s foyer/lobby become part of the store?
Mr. Fenczak,
Indeed, it is a department store. I took a tour to view the interior for the first time, see my July 11 posting, along with Bwy, also at an earlier date.
New York Dave, Thanks you for your reply concerning the Madison photo. One other thing I noticed in the photo, just to the right of the RKO sign on the marquee is a vintage traffic light,without the amber light. I remember these lights on Myrtle Ave.They were cast iron and painted black on the pole.There were low ones and high ones, the high ones were ornamental,and had a spoked wheel at the top of them. They were replaced sometime during the early 80’s I believe.
Outstanding photo New York Dave, its like going back in time and walking up to the box office! The boy sitting under the marquee does appear to be a boy selling something,could be pretzels. The store directly to the left advertises “frocks”, a remnant of a bygone era.
Does anyone know when the vertical Madison sign was removed?
We are getting closer to finding Madison’s last day and kudos to all for your efforts. I do find Warren’s posting interesting, concerning RKO’s sale of five theaters in 1959, a time when the movie industry could see into the future and predict that the one screen houses future was bleak. Sice the lease was 20 years, its logical to assume
that this was reason number four in my opinion of why Madison closed.
In reply to your posting PKoch, as to why did the Madison close and the Ridgewood did not is a very interesting question, it really has endured the test of time, and I hope the next generation of movie goers will enjoy this venue for many years.
PKoch, Thank you for your reply concerning the 1977 Blackout and Madison’s closure.Your reply was well said, the ‘77 Blackout was a tragedy for so many New Yorkers, it did occur at NYC’s darkest hour, when it was in the middle of bankruptcy.As I have mentioned on this page previously,my perceptions of Madison’s demise was television, changing cultures,and economic hardship. You have been precise with your description of Madison’s demise PKoch, so other than any other postings on this subject, my conclusion is that it closed under all of these circumstances.Perhaps the money loss was so great ,the last owner could not perceive multi- plexing as a way to generate needed revenue.
Did the Blackout of 1977 have any influence on Madison’s closure?
Did Madison sustain any major damage that could have affected revenue? Perhaps this could be the main reason Madison closed so close to the day that PKoch mentions,September or October of ‘77.
PKoch,
Have you been to the RKO Richmond Hill as an operating theatre?
Any memories to share or architectural features I can look for when I visit for the first time?
Do you know when its last movie was shown?
Thank you Lost Memory and Pkoch for your reply s concerning the air conditioning systems at the RKO Madison and Ridgewood.
On my next journey to the RKO Madison (which will be my second), I may take a look at the air conditioning and heating system, to see if its been upgraded. I will soon be exploring the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill, to either play Bingo or shop at the Flea Market, and of course Jahn’s.
To clarify the type of air conditioning, it most likely was a water chiller setup, where well water is chilled in a central chamber and then sent to a series of coils and fans called air handlers. The cool air is distributed through the ductwork. Since Madison is ornate, perhaps the air handlers were disguised behind decorative fixtures, which perhaps were also utilized for heating. Since this cooling arrangement recirculates water, as opposed to using city water, wells were an efficient means of saving on water bills. The tanks above the theater are known as gravity tanks, which supply high pressure water for the fire protection sprinklers.
One has to wonder how they perceived air conditioning back in those days as healthy, perhaps it was in the filtration. Another interesting fact is that most of these classic movies houses, especially the RKO Madison, date back to the 20’s when a/c did not exist.The building had to be retrofitted to accommodate such equipment and to run it, which must have been costly for Madison, given its square footage.
Warren, nice photo! Thanks for sharing, that pretzel boy to the right appears again, as New York Dave has mentioned. This angle shows the Marinette Frocks store to the left, as in Dave’s photo.
Question:The frocks store appears to be integrated into Madison’s facade, was there any reason to suspect it was associated with the theater?
Another question: What store occupied the frock store’s space in Madison’s last days? I must assume a quaint establishment of this type would not last into the 70’s. Did Madison’s foyer/lobby become part of the store?
bushwickbuddy,The only deli that exists today that seems to come close to Gottleib’s is Katz’s on Houston St. in Manhattan, a genuine old time deli.
Mr. Fenczak,
Indeed, it is a department store. I took a tour to view the interior for the first time, see my July 11 posting, along with Bwy, also at an earlier date.
one more try: View link
Perhaps this link: 6.photobucket.com/albums/bb60/panzer65/madisontheater.jpg
NewYorkDave, I have a photo from forgottenny.com perhaps you may have already seen it, taken from a different angle.
Click here: <img src=“http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb60/panzer65/madisontheater.jpg” alt=“Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket”>
New York Dave, Thanks you for your reply concerning the Madison photo. One other thing I noticed in the photo, just to the right of the RKO sign on the marquee is a vintage traffic light,without the amber light. I remember these lights on Myrtle Ave.They were cast iron and painted black on the pole.There were low ones and high ones, the high ones were ornamental,and had a spoked wheel at the top of them. They were replaced sometime during the early 80’s I believe.
I hope you win!
Paging Donald Trump!!
PKoch,
Please see my postings from May 28 th.
PKoch,
Quick question, what is the" AIP grind run" that you mentioned on August 24?
Outstanding photo New York Dave, its like going back in time and walking up to the box office! The boy sitting under the marquee does appear to be a boy selling something,could be pretzels. The store directly to the left advertises “frocks”, a remnant of a bygone era.
Does anyone know when the vertical Madison sign was removed?
We are getting closer to finding Madison’s last day and kudos to all for your efforts. I do find Warren’s posting interesting, concerning RKO’s sale of five theaters in 1959, a time when the movie industry could see into the future and predict that the one screen houses future was bleak. Sice the lease was 20 years, its logical to assume
that this was reason number four in my opinion of why Madison closed.
In reply to your posting PKoch, as to why did the Madison close and the Ridgewood did not is a very interesting question, it really has endured the test of time, and I hope the next generation of movie goers will enjoy this venue for many years.
Interesting detective work Mr. Solero, best of luck finding Madison’s last day.
PKoch, Thank you for your reply concerning the 1977 Blackout and Madison’s closure.Your reply was well said, the ‘77 Blackout was a tragedy for so many New Yorkers, it did occur at NYC’s darkest hour, when it was in the middle of bankruptcy.As I have mentioned on this page previously,my perceptions of Madison’s demise was television, changing cultures,and economic hardship. You have been precise with your description of Madison’s demise PKoch, so other than any other postings on this subject, my conclusion is that it closed under all of these circumstances.Perhaps the money loss was so great ,the last owner could not perceive multi- plexing as a way to generate needed revenue.
Did the Blackout of 1977 have any influence on Madison’s closure?
Did Madison sustain any major damage that could have affected revenue? Perhaps this could be the main reason Madison closed so close to the day that PKoch mentions,September or October of ‘77.
PKoch,
Have you been to the RKO Richmond Hill as an operating theatre?
Any memories to share or architectural features I can look for when I visit for the first time?
Do you know when its last movie was shown?
The great times I had at the Oasis seeing the matinées there on Saturday afternoon, priceless memories.
I’m honored to be invited to Bushwick Buddies, Thank you Ms. Eleanor.
Thank you Lost Memory and Pkoch for your reply s concerning the air conditioning systems at the RKO Madison and Ridgewood.
On my next journey to the RKO Madison (which will be my second), I may take a look at the air conditioning and heating system, to see if its been upgraded. I will soon be exploring the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill, to either play Bingo or shop at the Flea Market, and of course Jahn’s.
Your welcome and always my pleasure PKoch.
To clarify the type of air conditioning, it most likely was a water chiller setup, where well water is chilled in a central chamber and then sent to a series of coils and fans called air handlers. The cool air is distributed through the ductwork. Since Madison is ornate, perhaps the air handlers were disguised behind decorative fixtures, which perhaps were also utilized for heating. Since this cooling arrangement recirculates water, as opposed to using city water, wells were an efficient means of saving on water bills. The tanks above the theater are known as gravity tanks, which supply high pressure water for the fire protection sprinklers.
One has to wonder how they perceived air conditioning back in those days as healthy, perhaps it was in the filtration. Another interesting fact is that most of these classic movies houses, especially the RKO Madison, date back to the 20’s when a/c did not exist.The building had to be retrofitted to accommodate such equipment and to run it, which must have been costly for Madison, given its square footage.
My mother said this was the most beautiful theater she’s ever been to,the second is The RKO Madison.
Your welcome miceleandanniegirl.