Peoria's silent-picture palace from 1920, closed and preserved, with three documented haunting traditions
506 Main Street, Peoria, IL 61602
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Not currently open to general public; exterior viewable from the street
Access
Limited Access
Urban streetfront; interior not publicly accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1920 · Silent Film Era Palace · Peoria Entertainment History · Historic Preservation
The Madison Theatre opened on October 16, 1920, at 506 Main Street in Peoria, Illinois, designed for the silent film era. Wikipedia's entry on the theater confirms its 1920 opening and its operation through the twentieth century, spanning the transition from silent pictures to sound films and the rise and decline of commercial movie palace culture in Midwestern cities.
The theater closed in 2003 after more than eighty years of continuous operation, placing it among the longer-running film venues in central Illinois. After the Final Curtain, a site documenting closed and endangered American theaters, has catalogued the Madison as a preservation-priority structure. The building's architectural details and its role in Peoria's entertainment history have made it a target for local historic preservation interest.
The haunting traditions associated with the Madison are documented in Stephanie E. McCarthy's book Haunted Peoria and have been reported in local media, including the Bradley Scout. The Bradley Scout's account cites three distinct entities associated with the theater, each with a different origin story. No official investigation of the building's death records has been located for this build to corroborate the most serious claim — a child death in the basement — which should be treated as local tradition pending documentary confirmation.
Sources
The Bradley Scout documented three distinct entities associated with the Madison Theatre, each tied to a different part of the building. The first is a young male actor said to have been killed in the alley adjacent to the theater after a performance — the precise nature and date of the killing are not specified in any source located for this build. Visitors and staff report phantom footsteps on the stage and an intermittent cologne scent concentrated near the stage area.
The second entity is a former usher, described as male, whose presence is reportedly detected in the foyer. Witnesses describe seeing a moving light that replicates the path an usher would walk while seating patrons — the Bradley Scout describes it as a phantom flashlight drifting the aisles.
The third and most serious claim — a child murdered in the theater's basement in 1950 — appears in the Bradley Scout and in McCarthy's Haunted Peoria. No corroborating documentary source (police record, newspaper archive, coroner's report) has been located for this build to independently establish that a child killing occurred at this address in 1950. The claim is presented here as reported tradition, not established fact. Investigators interested in this venue should treat the 1950 claim as unverified until a primary source is identified.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Madison Theatre facade and exterior are visible from Main Street in downtown Peoria. The building has been closed since 2003 and is in the preservation process. No interior access is currently available to the public.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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