Save the Future by Saving the Past

MDL publisher Jon Hunter editorializes in Monday's (5/14) edition on the need to protect historic buildings in Lake County. He expresses the greatest concern for Madison's historic downtown, which has a number of old buildings with plenty of character but not as much TLC, especially on the upper floors, as they deserve.

Hunter singles out the Masonic Temple as a vacant property whose "beauty and historical significance are worth preserving." It stands, as Hunter puts it, "on very valuable property."

That's an understatement. The Masons' building stands at the very heart of Madison, right on the corner of Main Street (Egan Avenue, formally) and Highway 34, the main drag through town. If you come to Madison, you go by this grand old building. And for years, at this prime corner lot, welcoming people to downtown Madison, we have had this quiet, empty property.

Our man Hunter is right: we need to preserve the Masonic Temple, not just for its historic significance, but for the positive impact it can have on Madison's image. We need Masons' at the gateway to our downtown to represent what downtown Madison really can and should be: vibrant, unique, and busy.

Some folks have tried. For a brief period, Masons' housed a restaurant that made a run at being the best in the county. Curves for Women tried hosting fitness classes there for a bit. A Minnesota developer held onto it for a few years, thinking maybe he could turn a profit selling the building, but the bank foreclosed on him before he could see that day. Now the building appears to be back in Madison hands, but Masons' still waits for that one great idea and the one mover and shaker who can create a lasting establishment there.

Mrs. Madville Times and I toured the Masons' building this past winter when it was up for sale. She loves the building, and it's easy to see why. It is beautiful. Having been left to sit untended for many years, it needs a lot of work: the floors have water damage, some upstairs rooms never got renovated, the brickwork is crumbling in places. But the building still impresses. Standing on the front steps between those grand pillars, walking into the big main hall, looking down from the balcony inside, or even sitting out back on the fire escape, one can imagine all sorts of possibilities for a fun business that could serve as a gathering place for the community, a center of commercial and civic pride, maybe the funkiest front porch in town, where we could sit out front and wave to all Madison's visitors with big prou smiles on our faces.

What will that anchor business be? Will it be? Our greatest fear is that the Masonic Temple will meet the bulldozer to make way for what too many people think makes a good downtown: parking. Mr. Hunter doesn't think that's a good option, and neither do we.

Mrs. Madville Times will have more to say on Masons' and on the importance of a healthy downtown core to a community's identity on her own pages. For now, suffice it to say we should all share Mr. Hunter's interest in preserving an impressive and historic downtown, a unique city center of which we can be proud. Bringing Masons' back to life is key to preserving our past and promoting our future.