Madison Theatre
496 Flat Shoals Avenue SE,
Atlanta,
GA
30316
496 Flat Shoals Avenue SE,
Atlanta,
GA
30316
5 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Universal Chain Theatrical Enterprises Inc.
Architects: Russell L. Beutell, Sydney S. Daniell
Firms: Daniell & Beutell
Previous Names: East Art Cinema
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Dec 22, 2006 — Saving The Madison Theatre in East Atlanta Village
The Madison Theatre was opened around 1928 and operated until 1972. In 1972 it became an art house cinema known as East Art Cinema. Unless you resided in this east Atlanta community during the mid-20th century, you probably would not know that the Madison Theatre ever existed. It has spent more years either vacant or for furniture storage that it ever did as a cinema. In 2018 the theatre portion of the building stands unused.
Contributed by
Jack Coursey
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 37 comments)
If anyone is interested in leasing the Madison Theater, let me know
i work with the owner
JacobA,
Could you please post some contact information. I would like to get in touch with you about leasing. Thanks.
Trip
thats my email, email me and ill put you in touch with the owner
View link
http://www.loopnet.com/lid/16587490
I’m a historian and would gladly write the nomination to have the Madison Theater put on the National Register of Historic Places. I also work in the office of Historic Preservation for the state of Georgia. Our office receives all nominations for this designation throughout the state….so I know what they are looking for. There is currently no information on the Madison (or any of the building in the village) in our office, so I am creating a file. Ultimately, the whole of EAV could potentially be listed as a “Historic District” on the National Register. I’ve not done enough research to know that the neighborhood qualifies…..baby steps.
I’d also be willing to write a grant for the renovation of the property once it is listed on the national register.
I’ve begun doing historical research on the Madison property, but wondered if anyone would like to add to the lot of information I’ve already obtained. It sounds like a lot of you have done some research yourselves. Also, oral histories would be desirable in putting the nomination together as well.
For all it’s worth, I vaguely remember this being one of the porno houses in the mid to late 1960’s. I could be wrong but this fits the Flat Shoals address mention in the old ads. I remember riding by it one night and seeing people outside.
I would love to see it restored.
I lived in East Atlanta for several years in the late 1990s. During that time the theater was a mattress storage facility. The people there were very shady. I tried with some others to gain access to the main part of the theater but it was not possible due to the people renting it. Along with some others I tried to contact the owners to see about a possible renovation – I had some money at the time – and there seemed to be little interest in that from the people that hold the title.
I would love to go inside or see old pictures of this theater.
Hi,
HistoricPreservation, this theater is being mentioned on the eavbuzz.net. If you are still interested in recommending the property for historic status please visit the site which is a community message board and it should be easy to make contact with some people who may be interested in helping.
I lived in East Atlanta in the 1950s and early 1960s and frequented the Madison Theatre. My older brother was in charge of buying tickets, so I don’t remember how much they cost. Back then you could see the movie as many times as you wanted for one admission price. Our Dad drove a taxi on the weekends for East Atlanta Cab, which was right down the street from the Madison. My brother and I would often stay at the theatre all day until Dad got off from work. I had a dime to spend each Saturday and would either get a coke and popcorn or a coke and a big Charms cherry sucker. My brother and I would go every Saturday to see the Sky King, Superman and Batman serials, cartoons and newsreels. It didn’t matter much to us what the feature film was, but if I remember correctly, they were always kid friendly. I first saw the Blob and War of the Worlds there. My first experience getting a finger slammed in a car door was outside the Madison Theatre; my brother was also in charge of closing the car door. :) Saturdays at the Madison Theatre were among my favorite childhood memories. To this day, I love old movie theaters, and over 50 years later, I have vivid fond memories of the Madison Theatre.