The City of Footscray District Centre Study of 1992 labels Maddern Square as 'public open space' and even recommends (on p. 76) that (as 'Maddern Reserve') it be identified as one of 'a number of minor pathway opportunities' but its status is unclear. Unsurprisingly a sardonic review from yelp gives a flavour of the place and the locals:
Maddern Square is our favorite haunt on the way from Cheaper by Miles to the Footscray Market. The square is perfectly designed to catch all of the free flowing litter and collect a fine assortment of broken glass and wine cask bladders from a Thursday night to Sunday arvo. Since the closure of the Rotunda in the Railway Gardens, Maddern Square has become the defacto home of late night parties out of the spotlight of the world class Mall that it funnels into and a hot spot to take the kids to see what drugs can do. Maddern Square is full of potential, don't get me wrong. It's a (well known) secret car park if you're going to the market and a great place to rinse a syringe or two before urinating behind the old Godfreys Cleaning store. Sure, it has real grass instead of asto turf, trees that have been pollarded by aspiring gardeners and concrete seating to whittle the time away reading the walled wisdoms, but what it needs is a bottle shop, public toilet and an army of large garbage bins with basketball hoops for incentive. So if you want to see a mall without the shops, but with all of the charm of the Nicholson St showcase (whilst having cars drive at you), Maddern Square is your heaven.
Another states:
I am waiting for the day that the shops turn inwards towards this space and it becomes an inviting square. The structural pieces placed here at expense does nothing to enhance the square presently apart from detract from the assorted debris. Lighting, greening and coffee and cakes, a performance space would turn this opportunity pending around.
More work needs to be done on the history and projected use of Maddern Square. You can find the space in question here.
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