I did go back and look for pics from the “tour” and found none. If you (peter k) have contact info I think I might follow up and go a bit further ala “underground cities” I will have to document it well as my dad,uncle and some of his friends would not let me live it down if I didn’t. I would like to see if anything has changed since my last “visit”
As far as Gottlieb’s I remember eating there once but more often going with my Dad to go pick up a Turkey club and Dr. Browns (the food of the Gods) for my Mom. Years later I did find Gottlieb’s on Queens Blvd and went ther on a regular basis. Me and a friend did an actual taste comparison with Pastrami King and it was Gottlieb’s hands down (cheaper bigger and tasted better) That enormous diner a few doors down was towards the ratscellar. I remember eating in the place that was there before the McD’s. The greasy spoon on the right of Gottlieb’s was good for hot dogs after movies if the tiny hotdog/hamberger place outside the subway entrance was closed. Then you went for a little wander inside Woolworths running down the stairs and runnin around with my brother. Then We would walk down the avenue and stop in at “Marks Place” (next to the drug store)the army navy store where my Dad would BS with the owner. Dad grew up with his brother. We would wander around in the store..loved that…stale old armyjackets dry cleaned odor…Then maybe if we were good we could go to Villa Maria’s for pizza (before it was a fancy resturant and secret mob hangout) There’s more but after all this is more for the Madison than reminisants than other memories.
Has anyone thought to talk to one of the current employees and be willing to throw them a $20 to look around “behind the door”
When I was just starting HS they were just sectioning off the front area of the madison. The plywood wall was up just behind the ticket booth as I recall. They were building a cement block wall literally across the whole building to create the catolog store. I was a less than honerable youngster who whould explore plases I shouldn’t go after school hours. As they built the wall during the day….after the adult work day was over….one of the old fire doors in the back was unlocked I would go in and take out the bottom row of bricks still wet and wall would crumble.(I was pissed I liked the Madison..saw my first movie there..Krackatoa East of Java!) This went on daily for at least a week. Then they got a guard out front..What a surprise after the second day and the wall still crumbled..
I got to wander ALLL over the inside after it was closed. It has been almost 30 years but I still remember finding some cool stuff. I was under the stage ( I didn’t even know they had a stage) and found the lifting mechanism for it. Behind the curtain they still had alot of different curtains (asbestos too) and alot of stage rigging including some kind of swinging basket that if you were up in it and were creative and released the rope it swang rapidly across the stage and scared the shit out of you. I climbed the stage ladder to the very top of the stage rigging ( a large steel platform with alot of mechanical stuff hung from it. After coming down I found that there were two ways to get to the dressing rooms which were actually on either side of the stage where you had to climb a circular steel stair to get to them. All were small no stars on the doors..You could get at them either from the stage or thru a door from the right side balcony (on the side close to the stage)
I went all over I don’t know how I got alot of the places as it was qite dark but it was an adveture. I was in the ceiling ABOVE the dome. Did you know there were spotlights that could have been shined out from a slot around the edge of the dome? Let me tell you it sure felt high up looking out of that slot. It was mad better than I thought..no wood ALOt of wire mesh and hard plaster with decrepid steel walkways.
I also managed to get into the projection room and some small office above it, Thats where I found the ushers uniforms (should have taken one home just the jackets) The projection room was trashed the really old projectors were there with alot of carbon rods strewn about the floor. If you look from the L platform towards the building you should see a small roof as I recall with a door and a window (just one window) these were from that small room. I can’t say I remember much else. Unfortunately 99% of the seats were gone by that time and malicious vandels had done their damage long before I saw anything.
I would still be willing to grease the store manager for an hour of time to wander at my own risk with a camera. 30 yrs later wouldn’t that be a kick!
I did go back and look for pics from the “tour” and found none. If you (peter k) have contact info I think I might follow up and go a bit further ala “underground cities” I will have to document it well as my dad,uncle and some of his friends would not let me live it down if I didn’t. I would like to see if anything has changed since my last “visit”
As far as Gottlieb’s I remember eating there once but more often going with my Dad to go pick up a Turkey club and Dr. Browns (the food of the Gods) for my Mom. Years later I did find Gottlieb’s on Queens Blvd and went ther on a regular basis. Me and a friend did an actual taste comparison with Pastrami King and it was Gottlieb’s hands down (cheaper bigger and tasted better) That enormous diner a few doors down was towards the ratscellar. I remember eating in the place that was there before the McD’s. The greasy spoon on the right of Gottlieb’s was good for hot dogs after movies if the tiny hotdog/hamberger place outside the subway entrance was closed. Then you went for a little wander inside Woolworths running down the stairs and runnin around with my brother. Then We would walk down the avenue and stop in at “Marks Place” (next to the drug store)the army navy store where my Dad would BS with the owner. Dad grew up with his brother. We would wander around in the store..loved that…stale old armyjackets dry cleaned odor…Then maybe if we were good we could go to Villa Maria’s for pizza (before it was a fancy resturant and secret mob hangout) There’s more but after all this is more for the Madison than reminisants than other memories.
Has anyone thought to talk to one of the current employees and be willing to throw them a $20 to look around “behind the door”
When I was just starting HS they were just sectioning off the front area of the madison. The plywood wall was up just behind the ticket booth as I recall. They were building a cement block wall literally across the whole building to create the catolog store. I was a less than honerable youngster who whould explore plases I shouldn’t go after school hours. As they built the wall during the day….after the adult work day was over….one of the old fire doors in the back was unlocked I would go in and take out the bottom row of bricks still wet and wall would crumble.(I was pissed I liked the Madison..saw my first movie there..Krackatoa East of Java!) This went on daily for at least a week. Then they got a guard out front..What a surprise after the second day and the wall still crumbled..
I got to wander ALLL over the inside after it was closed. It has been almost 30 years but I still remember finding some cool stuff. I was under the stage ( I didn’t even know they had a stage) and found the lifting mechanism for it. Behind the curtain they still had alot of different curtains (asbestos too) and alot of stage rigging including some kind of swinging basket that if you were up in it and were creative and released the rope it swang rapidly across the stage and scared the shit out of you. I climbed the stage ladder to the very top of the stage rigging ( a large steel platform with alot of mechanical stuff hung from it. After coming down I found that there were two ways to get to the dressing rooms which were actually on either side of the stage where you had to climb a circular steel stair to get to them. All were small no stars on the doors..You could get at them either from the stage or thru a door from the right side balcony (on the side close to the stage)
I went all over I don’t know how I got alot of the places as it was qite dark but it was an adveture. I was in the ceiling ABOVE the dome. Did you know there were spotlights that could have been shined out from a slot around the edge of the dome? Let me tell you it sure felt high up looking out of that slot. It was mad better than I thought..no wood ALOt of wire mesh and hard plaster with decrepid steel walkways.
I also managed to get into the projection room and some small office above it, Thats where I found the ushers uniforms (should have taken one home just the jackets) The projection room was trashed the really old projectors were there with alot of carbon rods strewn about the floor. If you look from the L platform towards the building you should see a small roof as I recall with a door and a window (just one window) these were from that small room. I can’t say I remember much else. Unfortunately 99% of the seats were gone by that time and malicious vandels had done their damage long before I saw anything.
I would still be willing to grease the store manager for an hour of time to wander at my own risk with a camera. 30 yrs later wouldn’t that be a kick!