Madison Newcomers
Nearby, two recent distinctive additions to the Madison skyline — the Overture Center for the Arts and the adjoining Madison Museum of Contemporary Art — tell stories of a different kind.
The 14-year-old Overture Center, designed by Cesar Pelli, features a main 2,255-seat performance hall designed to accommodate large touring productions and has broadened Madison’s appeal as an entertainment center.
“Producers now see Madison as a viable market,” said Overture CEO Ted Dedee. “We are getting shows sooner than expected. Madison has become the No. 1 entertainment destination in the state; we are outpacing Milwaukee.”
Four visual art galleries include three around its large rotunda lobby and a gallery on the third floor for larger exhibits.
The restored 1928 Capitol Theater is part of the center and shows silent movies five times a year accompanied by its original organ.
The 11-year-old Madison Museum of Contemporary Art stresses its ties to the community and attempts to get people involved in its rotating exhibits.
“We select art that we think will be compelling and get people involved,” said Erika Monroe-Kane, the museum’s director of communications.
The museum’s distinctive design, with a three-story glass-enclosed stairwell extending into State Street, is also a draw.
“We have become an icon for Madison,” said Monroe-Kane.
Thailand in Wisconsin
A short distance from downtown, another distinctive architectural element is becoming a Madison icon. The red-and-gold Thai pavilion at Olbrich Gardens, a gift to the University of Wisconsin from the Thai government, is one of only four of its kind outside Thailand.
The ornate 40-feet-long, 30-feet-high building features gold-leaf etchings, a lacquer finish and intricate decorations.
The 16-acre Olbrich Gardens has a diverse collection of plants and grasses displayed in 13 gardens, including a traditional English-style garden enclosed by a shrub hedge, a rose garden with a limestone two-story observation tower and a sunken garden with an 80-foot-long reflecting pool that leads the eye toward Lake Monona.
