{"nrhp_refnum":"80001402","name":"Madison Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"502 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Peoria","county":"Peoria County","state":"IL","lat":40.69414832100006,"lon":-89.59158830799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two- and three-story movie and vaudeville theater at 502 Main Street, at the corner of Main and Madison Streets in downtown Peoria, Illinois. It opened on October 16, 1920, and was designed by Frederic J. Klein for the Robinson Amusement Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theater was built to serve the growing market for motion pictures and vaudeville. It is also an example of restrained theater design during an era of lavish movie palaces. Its interiors adapt the Adam brothers' Classical style, with fine plaster ceilings, domes and walls, and later Art Deco/Moderne lobbies show changing tastes.","narrative":"Madison Theatre is a movie and vaudeville house at Main and Madison Streets in downtown Peoria. It was built in 1920 by the Robinson Amusement Company at a cost of $500,000, designed by Peoria architect Frederic J. Klein and constructed by the local firm Fred Harbers Sons. Outside, white glazed brick and terra cotta carry sparse Classical detail. Inside, the auditorium and foyers follow the Adam brothers' style, with low-relief plaster garlands, medallions and figures, colonnaded loggia, and a domed auditorium ceiling with sculptured plaques. At a time when many theaters imitated Spanish gardens, Moorish palaces or Chinese pagodas, this one adopted a quieter elegance. Alterations came in 1927, when an organ and orchestra pit were added and the stage was extended, and in 1936-37, when the lobbies and marquee were redone in Art Deco and Moderne styles. The foyers, balconies and auditorium remain largely as they were after 1927. The building seats about 1,744 people and was still in use as a theater at the time of listing.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1920)","architect_builder":"Frederic J. Klein, Architect; Fred Harbers Sons, Builders","architectural_style":"Eclectic building with Classical, Adamesque and Moderne elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in private ownership, in excellent condition and altered; used for entertainment.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.687358-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/8938/28893859/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001402.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001402/b255428e76-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001402/b255428e76-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.5","author":"Robert Lawton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madison_Theatre.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert Lawton</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madison_Theatre.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100002825","name":"Downtown Peoria Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/downtown-peoria-historic-district-100002825/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893859","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6728120"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/peoria-county/madison-theatre-80001402/"}