1976 to Present - Madison Borough * 

*This section is partially based upon information contained in “Portrait of the Rose City: A History of Madison, New Jersey,” by Dr. Frank J. Esposito

 1976

In December, PIC Realty, the real-estate division of Prudential Insurance Company purchased Giralda Farms.  The Mayor, the Planning Board, and PIC Realty hammered out an agreement for a “corporate campus.”  There would be five office buildings occupying about fifteen percent of the estate.  The rest would remain as private parkland; most parking had to be underground.  The new corporate residents have continued the tradition established by the past owners of the property in providing support for Borough organizations and opening the grounds for community activities.  PIC Realty installed a macadam bicycle trail around three sides of the perimeter.  Joggers, strollers and dog walkers put the trail to good use year-round.  In the summer of 1984 and every succeeding summer, the Morris Area Arts Council sponsors a Pops Concert by the New Jersey Symphony on the grounds.

The Bicentennial Celebration of the American Revolution had been planned since 1974 by Madison's American Revolution Bicentennial Committee which was chaired by Councilman Anthony Donato. With strong financial fundraising support by Elmer Branch and James E. Burnet III, it was a masterpiece of community planning and involvement. 

Four lasting legacies of the celebration were the creation of the Bicentennial Quilt which remains on display at the Madison Public Library, the distribution of historical markers for extant eighteenth-century Madison houses, the library’s Madison Eagle Index, and the publication of the first edition of the definitive history book about Madison, The Madison Heritage Trail: An Intimate History of a Community in Transition in 1985. All donations of $200 or more, whether by businesses or individuals, received a copy of the book.

Various events during that period of the Bicentennial Celebration included a town-wide picnic, a formal ball at the Hartley Dodge Memorial (first such use there), military drills, the high school band performance, and a huge parade on Main Street and Madison Avenue to Drew University.

1977

Mayor Roger Vernon and the council pushed through the first phase of the controversial endeavor to create good sidewalks and to completely renovate/restore the by now dilapidated downtown district, including all-underground electric wiring. Thus began the 20-year odyssey of an innovative public-private partnership - no coincidence that Madison topped New Jersey Monthly magazine’s list of "Best Places to Live" in 2019.

1979

William Primus became the first (and only) African American to be elected to the Madison Borough Council, first in 1979 and again in 1984.

1980

The Madison Senior Citizens Center opened at 10 Maple Avenue.  It has had several different homes through the years. With Madison buying in 2023 the Historic Masonic Building, they will have a new home.

1981

The Downtown Development Commission (DDC) was created consisting of 26 members, representatives of the various constituencies: merchants, property owners, residents, universities, public employees, the governing body, civic organizations, communications, recreation, and social service groups. Jerry Stevenson (first chairman) and Mayor Betty Baumgartner provided firm leadership.

1984

The long process to create Giralda Farms by PIC Realty finally bore fruit when the pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough Corporation, became the first to build its world headquarters there in 1984. Others soon followed, such as Atlantic Mutual Insurance, Maersk, American Home Products, which converted a former carriage house into a corporate dining area and a child development center for employees. PIC, in conjunction with Schering Plough and Giralda Farms, sponsored the first Summer Pops Concert by the New Jersey Symphony now called the Giralda Music and Arts Festival, with 2,500 attendees. The concert continues to be held every June. 

Changing times, the Covid-19 pandemic, economic downturn, acquisitions, spin-offs and mergers greatly affected Giralda Farms, leaving only one new owner, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, as a projected long-term proprietor by 2023. Their new facility changed the private office park concept since the rehabilitation center is a public health service facility, and therefore accommodates a larger number of regional clients. 

1985

After years of research and writing, made possible in part by the library's indexing of articles from the Madison Eagle, The Madison Heritage Trail: An Intimate History of a Community in Transition was published by the Madison Bicentennial Heritage Committee. It was chaired by Nancy Vernon and Kenneth Haynes and funding was provided by Kenneth Haynes, Madison Borough, the Bicentennial Committee, CETA grants, not to mention many volunteers. Dr. Frank J. Esposito was the author.

1986

Local engineering business owner John Hatley and Councilman Gary Ruckelshaus skillfully coordinated the actual finalization of the downtown redevelopment project and steered the project to completion. The huge project was completed on time, within budget, and finally Mayor Ralph Engelsman and members of the council proudly cut the ribbon in 1990. The Garden Club of Madison offered to beautify the downtown with hanging baskets along Main Street from Green Village Road to Waverly Place, and then extended to the entire downtown area.

With new state grants available for open space in the 1970s, Madison's first was a 24-acre park between Central and Ridgedale Avenues. Cobbled together on the former Nelson Dane and Theodore Washington Stemmler (Villa Lorraine) estates, it was quite appropriately named Green Acres Park. However, a borough-wide contest in 1986, chose a new name, Summerhill Park.

The 80-unit Rexford Tucker Senior Housing was completed in 1986 and named after the man who first raised Madison’s conscience about the need for subsidized housing. He garnered support from Madison clergy and community residents to correct what he considered an injustice to lower-income people, no longer able to afford to live in Madison. The last of the federally subsidized housing units were built in 1996, eight two-bedroom units at 80 Park Avenue.

1987

In what was perhaps the greatest traffic jam in Morris County history, in January a 12-inch snowstorm completely blocked traffic on Route 24 and Park Avenue, to Morristown down to Route 78, for 8 hours.

1989

One of Madison's worst fires occurred in one of Madison's most beautiful, historic, and venerated buildings, on the Drew University campus. Built by the Gibbons family in 1836, the Greek Revival Style Gibbons Mansion, later renamed Mead Hall, has been on the Federal Register of Historic Places since 1976. It has been the administrative center of Drew University for many decades, and previously the home of Drew Theological Seminary. The great fire began August 24 by sparks from a painter's torch and burned for 23 hours. A multi-year restoration was highly successful and it reopened in December 1992.

1991

Since 1882, the Madison Eagle newspaper has been a staple of the borough's life. In 1991, owners Louise and William Easton sold the paper to Elizabeth and Steve Parker, of the New Jersey Hills Media Group. 

The historic landmark building that stood at the South East corner of Waverly Place and Main Street, known as the Madison House when General Lafayette visited in 1825, went through many iterations and attempts to save it. It was moved to Main Street and fondly known as the Bottle Hill Tavern, then Bottle Hill Restaurant, and then the Widow Brown's Restaurant. Attempts to save it and repurpose it all eventually failed and demolition came in 1991.

1992

Following a dozen years of being a mid-September event, Bottle Hill Day moved to the first Saturday in October. The dedication of a plaque honoring Bottle Hill Day founder Elizabeth Baumgartner, who had lost her battle with cancer in January, took place on Bottle Hill Day. Also dedicated was the sundial and park next to the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Columbus voyage to the new world 

By the second decade of the 2000s, Madison’s Bottle Hill Day had fully evolved into a huge “family, entertainment, and community celebration” that annually attracts as many as 20,000 celebrants from the town and surrounding communities.

The 21-year saga to fix what Hurricane Dora started in 1971, finally came to fruition. The goal was to protect Madison from massive flooding in another 100-year storm, as when Dora created uncontrollable flooding of Spring Garden Brook and Black Creek, as well as great runoff from streets. (Also check out the gruesome 1902 Cemetery flood). Underground culverts failed to stop the onslaught. Nothing less than a massive reconstruction project would suffice, and Mayor Glenn Head began the charge in 1972. At one point, Main Street was closed between Greenwood and Rosedale Avenues for 3 months while a 115 foot long concrete tunnel was placed under Main Street.

The new 4-lane Route 24 finally opened after 50 years of effort, replacing the road (now Route 124) that had dumped 30,000 cars per day through Madison's center. Mayor Baumgartner and borough residents successfully avoided noise barriers and entrance/exit ramps. It once again became the quiet, uncongested place it had been.

President George H. W. Bush visited Madison and spoke on the steps of the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building to a crowd of 3,000. He met with the governing body and was especially enamored of the Lincoln Portrait on the wall, quipping, "I have one of those where I live too."

1993

The Madison Borough Council established the Madison Historic Preservation Commission in 1993 with the purposes of encouraging and advancing the protection, enhancement, and perpetuation of noteworthy examples of elements of the borough’s cultural, social, economic, and architectural history. It was not until 1999, however, that the borough council finally approved a historic preservation ordinance.

1996

The locally famous Tuttle Oak tree was saved from destruction by Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle in 1858, when he stopped road workers from chopping it down, as he extended Prospect Street to Kings Road. It stood almost in the center of Prospect St. for many, many decades. Its exact age was unclear, though a myth floated around that George Washington had once tied his horse to it. The famous tree finally expired when a truck collision dealt it a fatal blow.

NJ Transit introduced “Midtown Direct” service, a no-transfer ride to New York Penn Station on the Morris & Essex Lines. Previously, the Morris & Essex trains terminated in Hoboken, where Manhattan-bound commuters had to transfer to PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) trains to cross the Hudson River. The expanded service now cut the overall travel time to Manhattan by 20 minutes.

The Grace Community Music Series was established by Dr. Anne Matlack of Grace Episcopal Church and husband, Jabez Van Cleef, The intent was to enrich the cultural life of the Madison area through high quality concerts. The 100-voice Harmonium Choral Society became a staple, as has the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, headed by Dr. Robert Butts. 

The New Year's Eve "Blizzard of '96" dumped 25 inches of snow on Madison. The parking lot at the Madison Community Pool became a snow dump, filled with 15-foot snow mounds. It was estimated the storm cost Madison $90,000, triple the amount spent for snow removal the entire previous year. 

1997

The James Library building (now the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts - METC) on Green Village Road at Main Street was built and donated to the Borough of Madison in 1899 by D. Willis James. He stocked it with 5,000 volumes. It was then and is once again one of Madison's most beautiful prized jewels, but came within inches of sharing the same awful fate as befell New York's magnificent Pennsylvania Station in 1963. The METC was incorporated by Edgar and Agnes Land in 1969. However the building was badly deteriorated and without adequate funds for the METC to maintain it, the James Library was desperately in need of major and expensive repair and renovation. However, by 1993, an innovative approach by Councilman Gary Ruckelshaus and METC Chairman Stanley Brown allowed the museum trustees to raise $1.8 million, including a challenge grant from the Borough of Madison, which retained ownership. To everyone's great pleasure, Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Mayor Ruckelshaus, on Bottle Hill Day in 1997, cut the ribbon for the newly, impeccably restored James Library building (leased to the METC). The building is on the Register of Historic Places.

1998

Mayor Gary Ruckelshaus's successful fundraising drive allowed the town to purchase and install Madison’s landmark “Millennium Clock” as the finishing touch of the Downtown Renovation project. The 4-sided Seth Thomas style 1890s clock was placed at the center of town, at the north end of Waverly Place, viewable from every direction. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen presided over the dedication on Bottle Hill Day, October 5, 1998. A beautiful bust of President James Madison was later added to the clock plaza.

The new 308 seat F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater opened after extensive renovation of Bowne Gymnasium on the Drew University campus. The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey had moved to the campus in 1972.

The first of May in Madison is a town wide beautification day with the goal of reminding residents of the shared need to maintain our downtown and public spaces.  Organized by members of the Downtown Development Commission (DDC), the first May Day was held on May 2, 1998. It came to life and continues from the efforts of James E. Burnet IV, Anthony Donato, Lisa Ellis, and Mara Johnson. The event continues to be held on the first Saturday in May. Over 250 volunteers spend their mornings cleaning up the downtown on the first Saturday of May to this day.

Due to the prescient ideas of Woody Kerkeslager, the RoseNet website was available by Bottle Hill Day 1998 with the library’s and the borough’s websites functional.  All fiber connections to all twenty-two borough buildings were in place by the end of the year. It was considered the first municipality in the state to be digitally interconnected, and ready for the age of the internet.

1999

With a seed money grant from the Madison Elks, the Madison Historical Society conducted a Historic House Plaque project that identified over 250 homes that were constructed between the town’s founding ca.1730 and1900. The homes were adorned by over 100 of their owners with plaques created by the Historical Society.

Despite previous requests from two of Madison's most prominent and civic-minded Jewish residents, Sam and Mildred Gordon, to install a public menorah to also celebrate Chanukah, nothing happened. Until 1999, that is, when the Rabbinical College of America-Chabad of Southeast Morris County, arranged to have a menorah installed adjacent to Santa’s Village. Mayor Gary Ruckelshaus attended the “Festival of Lights” celebration, along with many Madison residents. Marcia Brous, the Gordons' daughter stated, “It’s wonderful to know that the town of Madison has begun to acknowledge the diversity within the community in recognizing other religions at this holiday time.”

2001

The horrific events of September 11 are tragically all too well known to all of us. The events led to the deaths of 3 Madison residents, James Crawford Jr., Tim Hughes, and Patrick McGuire, along with 3 former residents, Jean and Donald Peterson, and Peter West. The chaotic nature of desperately attempting to contact loved ones, protecting children in school who may have no one to come home, arranging for support, fell on neighbors, colleagues, emergency services, institutions, social services, as well as borough officials. Mayor Jack Dunne called for a "Madison Day of Mourning and Hope." Madison police and firefighters served at Ground Zero in New York, as did others from the Port Authority and Newark Fire Department who lived in Madison. Everyone pitched in. In 2002, a monument installed in James Park, was dedicated to those who were lost, poignantly including a section of stressed steel from the towers.

2004

The Madison Arts and Culture Alliance was formed to advocate, on a permanent basis, for the promotion and expansion of the arts in the borough. But it needed a physical space. When the Rose Hall Apartments and Madison House Condominium were built, the borough negotiated to have a 3,000 square foot facility with performance space and other amenities leased for $1 per year for 30 years. It is named the Madison Community Arts Center.

 2005

The part of Ridgedale Avenue from Park Avenue to the Luke Miller House joined the Madison Downtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

2006

It all began with a letter from Mayor Gary Ruckelshaus to NJ Transit in 1996 requesting that the stately, iconic collegial gothic style Madison Train Station, already on the National Register of Historic Places, be "cleaned up and repaired." It was built in 1916 and had deteriorated and to some degree became an eyesore. To everyone's surprise, NJT was interested. What followed was a groundswell of citizen and government cooperation. Through the efforts of many including members of the Historic Preservation Commission, Friends of the Madison Train Station, residents who bought 1300 pavers at $100 each, a $100,000 DOT grant, Friends of Madison Shade Trees, and $13 million from NJT, the venerable building was beautifully renovated and made ADA compliant by 2006.

2008

The first major construction project in 70 years by the borough government was completed with the new Public Safety Complex on the corner of Kings Road and Prospect Street. Those departments had severely outgrown their prior setting, the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building. The construction of the new, up-to-date courtroom, led to a shared services agreement for a joint court to handle the cases from Madison, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Harding Township, and Morris Township (the latter in 2011).

2010

The Madison Education Foundation (MEF) opened grant eligibility to educators at all Madison public schools. The foundation’s core mission remained the same as its previous incarnation (Madison High School Education Fund) – to fund teacher-initiated enrichment programs that did not fit within the district budget. By 2022, it had awarded a total of 500 grants, $1.7 million across all grade levels.

2011

Although later surpassed, what was then the costliest disaster in New Jersey history began on August 28, 2011, when another 100 year storm, Tropical Storm Irene, slammed into Little Egg Inlet with winds of 65-70 mph and 10 inches of rain. In Madison, the storm wreaked havoc with trees, toppling them and blocking Kings Road and Midwood Terrace, demolished homes on Barnsdale Road and Sinclair Terrace, blacked out electric power to the public library, and flooded many basements. Manhole covers popped, power outages were caused by fallen trees, and many sump pumps were inoperative as a result. In the first day of the storm alone, the Madison Fire Department pumped out 110 basements and 135 calls for help went to first responders and 170 calls to the Police Department. Mayor Mary-Anna Holden asked residents to help by each family adopting storm drains and clearing them of debris.

2012

Barbara Valk died at age 82 after a long and extraordinary life devoted to helping. Barbara W. Valk Firehouse apartment building at Central and Cook Avenues is named after her. As a champion of the underprivileged, she along with Louise Easton of the Madison Eagle launched the Madison Eagle Christmas Fund in 1974, raising $1,300 through articles in the newspaper for Madison's needy families. With the same passion, they elicited help from their friends to shop for – and deliver – gifts and food to 60 people, including children and senior citizens. By 1984, the Fund had 70 volunteers and 250 residents received help for emergencies, utility/rent payments, medical expenses, and more. Those who helped and remained active with them for many years were: Eleanore and Alan Goetze, Nancy and Bob Megargel and Carmela and Pat De Biasse. By 2022, yearly collections amounted to $86,000 for gift cards, holiday meals, gifts, and clothes provided to 520 residents. The fund continues, and evolving managerial approaches have helped to sustain it. 

While Tropical Storm Irene was terrible, Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy (officially Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy when it reached Madison) was horrific. Despite being hard hit with sustained winds of 40 mph, Madison fared better than many towns again, because of its preparedness and having its own electric utility. National Public Radio reported on Madison and Summit, comparing how the two neighbors handled the restoration of power differently. While Summit relied on JCP&L to restore power fully, it was unable to do so for 12 very long days. Madison was blacked out, but up and running in some sections within two days and in most of the rest of the town within five. With 30 utility poles broken and more than 100 homes damaged by fallen trees during the storm, Mayor Robert Conley proactively had already issued an emergency declaration two days before the storm’s arrival. Devastation across the borough totaled $20 million, exacerbated by a fuel crisis, very long gas lines, live wires on the ground, blocked roads, and limited NJ Transit service. The borough arranged for bus service into New York City for two weeks. Yet, there were no deaths or injuries, and Madison was able to hold its general election on November 6th. Despite the major disruptions, Madison children were allowed to celebrate Halloween Trick or Treating on November 3.

2013

In 1921, Geraldine R. Dodge gifted the Rolls-Royce of fire engines at the time, the Ahrens-Fox P-4, to Madison's Fire Department, and it was used for the next 33 years. It eventually wound up in the hands of a private collector in Massachusetts, and eventually retrieved by "The Friends of Geraldine" and other supporters who raised funds to purchase it. It now proudly chugs along in parades in Madison.

2017

The Madison Council passed Resolution 57- 2017, the "Welcoming Community Resolution." It reaffirmed "Madison's Commitment to Equal, Respectful and Dignified treatment of all people regardless of their immigration status and to remain a welcoming community." It was not a sanctuary city resolution and did not override any laws, policies, or procedures that were already in place. It confirmed that anyone could seek help from the police department without fear of consequences or retribution. It recognized that Madison is home to the 3rd largest non-English speaking population of Morris County's 39 towns. (https://www.rosenet.org/DocumentCenter/View/4534/FAQ_WC?bidId=)

2019

For many decades, the magical visit by Santa Claus and the attendant parade were among the greatest highlights of the year for Madison. In 2019,10,000 visitors came to the Christmas parade, including 3800 children to hang out with Santa. In recent history, three people – Carmine Toto, Jr., Rose Ferdinand and Carmela Vitale – were instrumental in creating the Waverly Place wonderland as it now exists. Carmine Toto Jr. even built a new Santa House in 1980 on the lawn of the Kings Road railroad station, and later replaced it with a new one in 2018 and added it to Santa's Village. Bill Odell, delightful as Santa, played the role from 1978 to 2013.

An EF-1 tornado with winds of 100 mph, a path width of 150 yards, and path length of 4.9 miles tore through the borough on Halloween night (November 1) between 12:23 and 12:28 am. Residents reported a sudden, extremely loud and frightening sound like a freight train roaring at full speed through their neighborhood, lasting several minutes. Starting in Harding, the tornado made its way through Madison, breaking utility poles, toppling trees, crushing cars, and plunging neighborhoods into darkness. Screaming through Prospect Place and Gibbons Place, it then felled many trees in Drew University’s forest and Glenwild Rd. Heading onto the downtown area it then picked up speed and did more damage on Greenwood Avenue and Sherwood Avenue before hitting Florham Park and losing strength. About a quarter of homes lost power, soon restored and no one was injured during the event.  

 2020

The 2020 US Census found that White (non-Hispanic) residents constituted 73.1% of Madison's population, Asian (non-Hispanic) 7.24%, White Hispanic 7.59%, and the Black population of Madison stood at 3.8%. (https://datausa.io/profile/geo/madison-nj).

Despite their relatively small numbers in Madison, Black residents have had a significant history of leadership positions, including Dr. Charles Robinson (Madison Board of Health, Human Relations Commission, Urban League), William Primus (firefighter and councilman), William Burroughs (affordable housing), George Burroughs (Community House), and George Martin (Board of Education). More recently, Rev. Dr. A. Craig Dunn, Senior Pastor of Madison's First Baptist Church, became Chaplain of the Madison Police Department. Rev. Dunn organized the first "Beloved Community Conversations" and "Meet the Muslims Next Door" get-togethers.

In early 2020 a new viral infection, the most deadly since 1918, known as Covid-19, arrived in the U.S. The pandemic’s first Madison case was recorded on March 17 and its first death reported on April 2. On March 9 New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency. All schools were closed on March 10, and stay-at-home restrictions were imposed on March 24.  People who were considered “nonessential workers” were asked to work from home, and school children could only receive remote, virtual instruction via the internet. Madison quickly became a “ghost town”: no cars on the roads and no pedestrians on the sidewalks. All but essential businesses were closed. To help financially, residents who were recently furloughed, or whose job was terminated due to Covid-19 received a $200 rebate on their electric bill. Businesses that had to close because they provided “non-essential services” and other businesses that had major downturns in revenues due to the restrictions received a $400 rebate. In addition, all interest and penalties for non-payment for property taxes (for balances under $10,000) and utility bills were waived for three months. Utility disconnects for non-payment were also waived. The Madison Main Street Foundation in partnership with the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce, awarded grants to businesses through the Small Business Recovery Grant Program. Numerous citizen groups and organizations pitched in to help in every conceivable way. The advent of effective vaccines eventually helped to decrease the mortality rate, and though controversial, masks were an added support

2021

Kenisha Tucker produced the highly regarded "Hidden Figures" project with banners around central Madison telling the stories, forgotten or never told, of Black residents. Stories of Bill Hagen, first Black officer in the police department, Charlotte Nebres, first Black ballerina in the New York City Ballet to play Marie in the Nutcracker, and Beresford Russell, Jr., founder of Russell Electric, among many others.

The Madison Area YMCA completed a massive, multimillion-dollar expansion in 2021, accomplished in part through donations of $10.5 from 1000 donors. Shepherded by YMCA President and CEO Diane Mann, the nearly 29,000 square foot expansion included an 8 lane, 25-meter competitive pool, an 8,500 square foot gym, and expanded fitness center. 

The historic Lyons Theater on Lincoln Place, in existence since 1925, finally fell victim to declining patronage and economic forces. Bow-Tie Cinemas was the final operator until 2017 when it suddenly closed. Save Madison Theater, a grassroots organization, ultimately was unable to save it, despite a petition with 2,100 signatures. It was razed in 2021, and a residential structure is to be built on the site.  

2022

A staunchly Republican town throughout much of its history, the balance shifted by 2022 when registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans in Madison.

2023

With the global climate change crisis looming, the Madison Council passed a Climate Action Resolution. Plans include adhering to NJ specific state goals in the Energy Master plan of 2019, replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric ones, converting space and water heating units to electric heat, and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.