Madison Public Library clippings file: Downtown/University area urban renewal (1971-1981)

July 6, 1970
Some downtown Madison cheerleading starts out the decade.

March 21, 1971. 
The beginning of GEF 1, 2, & 3.

June 15, 1971.
 Fred Risser, state senator then and state senator now, promotes the idea of offering bus passes to  state employees working downtown.  He was not taken up on it.

March 13, 1973
The arcade, which never got off the drawing board, was proposed to be built on the West Mifflin Street side of the Capitol Square between Wisconsin Avenue and North Carroll Streete, i.e., the storefronts you see in the April 26, 1977, photo below.

March 31, 1974
The 700 block of University Avenue was home to University Square until the mid-2000s.  The Towering Isthmus era of downtown redevelopment made this sprawling one-story structure a relic of another age.

April 26, 1977
When retail had not yet abandoned the Capitol Square.

May 20, 1977
Any optimism was relatively short-lived.

June 5, 1977
By this time, the Capitol Square's retail glory days were history.  West Towne Mall (opened 10/15/1970) and East Towne Mall (opened 10/14/1971) had siphoned away much of its business.  And now malls are struggling to stay relevant, rebranding themselves after their anchors sink into oblivion.

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October 17, 1981
The Carley-Madsen Capitol Center housing-parking-shopping project.  Retiring Guy moved to the Madison area in 1986 and frequently visited the city prior to that.  I don't recall every seeing much in the way of retail here.

Other MPL clippings file posts:
Madison urban renewal (part 3, the Triangle, 1970-1979).  (1/27/2019)
Madison urban renewal (part 2, the Triangle, 1964-1969) . (1/27/2019)
Madison urban renewal, part 1 (1962-1964).  (1/27/2019) 
Downtown Madison parking ramps (1956-1971).  (1/22/2019)
History of the Dane County airport.  (12/21/2018)
City's first skywalk opens in 1966.  (10/9/2017)
Typewriter art.  (10/9/2017)
Proudfit and Regent streets widening, 1955.  (9/30/2017)
Northport Connector project, 1960.  (9/30/2017)
Regent Street extension beyond Rosa Road, another bad idea left on the drawing board.  (5/27/2017) 
Drake Street extension, a bad idea left on the drawing board.  (5/26/2017)