Renovating the Madison Theater

[Toldyouso]

I also wonder about the competition between the two government subsidized theaters, should the Madison project receive public funding. Will we continue to prop up the Civic Center with the HRA tax, while using tax dollars to rebuild a theater just blocks away? Then, of course, there is the dented tuna can on the old Sears block that we’re on the hook for

[RPlant]

I also wonder about the competition between the two government subsidized theaters, should the Madison project receive public funding. Will we continue to prop up the Civic Center with the HRA tax, while using tax dollars to rebuild a theater just blocks away? Then, of course, there is the dented tuna can on the old Sears block that we’re on the hook for

Why wonder? As already mentioned there was the real world example of the "competition" between the same two venues in the mid-90s. Acts that played the Madison were smaller draws than that played the Civic Center. If I recall correctly, the Civic Center was (is) aligned with Ticket Master and Jay Goldberg booked the Madison.

[Tazewell]

It looks like the owners of the theater are donating the building to the group wanting to preserve it. I'm still hoping they do this project without tax dollars, or at least without tax dollars from outside of Peoria.