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The Theatre was opened in 1929 as the Madison
Theater. Designed by theater architect, Thomas
Lamb, it shares the same creator as Proctors
Theater in Schenectady. It was operated as part of
the Stanley Warner chain until 1975. After this, the
theater was operated under private ownership. It was
taken over by new owners in 1994, renamed the
Norma Jean Madison Theater, and split into five
auditoriums. The store front that was occupied by
Claps Books was taken over by the theater and two
more screens were added to this space. The Norma
Jean Madison, one of Albany's oldest movie houses,
finally closed in December 2001 due to poor
financial management. One of the creditors, Boston
Concessions Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
then took over the theatre operations in the spring of
2002. Owing primarily to the fact that the Madison
was the farthest theater from their home offices,
BCG closed the theater in 2003. Early in 2005 a
group was formed to purchase the property and
operate it again as a theater. While the building has
suffered about 25 years of neglect, the corner has
been turned and the long slow road has been started
to bring this landmark back to its former glory. The
first of the seven screens opened on May 20, 2005,
showing Star Wars, Episode III. While progress
may seem slow, regular patrons will notice a gradual
improvement and with their support it is hoped that
these improvements can continue. It is also the
desire of the Madison to become an active part in
the community. We work regularly with local film
makers and are always interested in new ideas from
the public that we serve. |
2009 marks a special year for the Madison
Theater. It was 80 years ago that the theater opened
as an upscale neighborhood movie theater. With 1350
seats and a pipe organ, the Madison was not a movie
palace but was still a cut above your run of the mill
theater. This is probably why it has survived till today.
The architect, Thomas Lamb, also designed another
local theater landmark, Proctors in Schenectady. |