Located on the first floor of the historic Cardinal Hotel (now apartments), the Cardinal Bar has been in operation for most of the time since the building was erected in 1908 (it was closed during Prohibition from 1919 to 1933.)
The Cardinal Hotel was the last and the largest of Madison’s railroad hotels and for many years it was a favorite for railroad men and travelers headed for King Street and the Capitol. It had a spacious dining room and a beautiful tavern which still retains most of its original features.
In 1974, Ricardo Gonzalez leased the premises, remodeled the old dining room into a dance floor and turned the Cardinal into the first disco in Madison. It immediately became a favorite of Madison’s burgeoning gay community and dwellers from the near-east-side Willy Street neighborhood, with its eclectic mix of political activists, bohemians, artists, students and hippies.
Now in its 36th year, the Cardinal has been the recipient of numerous awards, most notably being voted “Favorite Place to Dance” by Isthmus readers for 27 consecutive years. The Cardinal has pioneered most of the dance trends of the past three-and-a-half decades—whether salsa, new wave, house, techno/trance, funk, hip hop or world music, DJ’s from all over the USA and abroad have spinned their magic on the Cardinal’s turntables.
The Cardinal pioneered the concept of “theme nights” in the industry, in this way building a broad and varied clientele which responded to the different styles of music offered. And this old Bird is also more than a dance club, as it has been host to countless community events over so many years, firmly establishing itself as a community institution.
But most importantly, the Cardinal is simply a beautiful place. The authenticity of its stained glass windows, terrazzo tile floor, mahogany bar and wainscoting, accented with brass light fixtures, make it one of a kind. People fall in love with its harmonious period décor. The dancing area, with its new hickory natural wood floor, is separate from the main bar room, providing customers with quieter zones for mingling and conversation.
Without a doubt, the Cardinal is the most written and talked about dance bar in Madison, with a well-earned reputation for the quality of its music, service and libations. Its state-of-the-art sound system, built and supervised over the years by Dantech Systems, aims to create a crisp and sweet sound instead of just loudness.
In October 2009, following three months of renovation, the Cardinal opened its doors once again for yet another debut as Madison’s Classic Dance Bar. The new entertainment program includes a live jazz happy hour on Fridays, the return of the Tony Castaneda Latin Jazz Band on Sundays and bringing back great dance music to Friday nights! In addition, Latin dance music is offered on Saturdays and Thursdays are College Night, continuing the Cardinal’s tradition of being Madison’s off-campus campus bar.
Please join us and find out why the Cardinal has remained Madison’s favorite dance bar!
