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Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
Encyclopedia
Lincoln Theatre is a theater in Washington, D.C.
located at 1215 U Street
, next to Ben's Chili Bowl
. The theater, located on "Washington's Black Broadway", served the city's African American
community when segregation
kept them out of other venues. The Lincoln Theatre included a movie house and ballroom, and hosted jazz
and big band
performers such as Duke Ellington
. The theater closed after the 1968 race-related riots
. It was restored and reopened in 1994, and hosts a variety of performances and events. The U Street Metro station, which opened in 1991, is located across the street from Lincoln Theater.
and vaudeville
, served the city's African American
community. The theatre was designed by Reginald Geare, in collaboration with Harry Crandall, a local theater operator.
In 1927, the Lincoln Theatre was sold to A.E. Lichtman, who decided to turn it into a luxurious movie house, and added a ballroom. The theatre was wired for sound in 1928. The ballroom, known as Lincoln Colonnade, and the theater were known as the center of "Washington's Black Broadway". Performers at Lincoln Theatre have included Duke Ellington
, Pearl Bailey
, Louis Armstrong
, Lionel Hampton
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Cab Calloway
, Billie Holiday
, and Sarah Vaughn. A television projection system was installed at Lincoln Theatre in 1952. The movie house televised boxing
fights on many occasions, such as the Sugar Ray Robinson
-Joey Maxim
bout on June 25, 1952.
The Lincoln Theatre struggled financially after desegregation
opened other movie theaters to African-Americans beginning in 1953. In the late 1950s, the Colonnade was demolished. The theater fell into disrepair after the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots
. In 1978, the Lincoln Theatre was divided into two theaters, and was known as the Lincoln "Twins". In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Lincoln Theater featured "All-Night Movie" shows on the weekend, attracting hundreds each weekend. The Lincoln Theatre was sold to developer Jeffrey Cohen in 1983, who closed it for renovations. The theater remained boarded up for many years.
in 1993. In 1993, the theatre was restored by the U Street Theatre Foundation, with $9 million of aid from the District of Columbia government. The restoration started in 1989 by developer Jeffrey N. Cohen, who was working on a controversial $250 million redevelopment plan, "Jackson Plaza", for the Shaw/U-Street area. In 1990, Cohen ran into financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 1991. Restoration of the theater was taken over by the District government and the foundation. The restoration work was done by the design firm, Leo A. Daly. The building has a brick
exterior, and the interior features Victorian
trim.
A "sneak preview" of the renovated theater was held on September 16, 1993 for D.C. Councilmember Frank Smith, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
, and 1,000 attendees. The theatre officially reopened on February 4, 1994 with a performance of Barry Scott's Ain't Got Long to Stay Here, which was about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
In March 1995, Lincoln Theatre hosted a play, Where Eagles Fly, written by local playwright Carole Mumin. The play told the story of a local elderly woman who fought the Shaw Urban Redevelopment Project that targeted the Shaw neighborhood for demolition, and sought to preserve the neighborhood and its history.
The 1,250-seat theater has hosted theatrical and musical shows, leased space to community groups and for events, and hosted political events such as the mayor's State of the District address. Jazz performances in recent years have included Cassandra Wilson
, Quincy Jones
, Chuck Brown
, and Wynton Marsalis
. In 2005, the annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival was inaugurated and hosted performances. Others that have performed at the Lincoln Theatre include Damien Rice
, singer Brian Stokes Mitchell
, and comedian Dick Gregory
. Lincoln Theatre has also been a venue for Filmfest DC. The theater has been the primary venue for the annual LBGT film festival Reel Affirmations
since 1998.
The theater has struggled financially, and has received $500,000 of aid annually for the past five years from the District government. The theater director, Janice Hill, has expressed concerns that the theater may have to shut down due to lack of funds. On January 11, 2007, the District government provided $200,000 to the theatre. Councilmember Jim Graham
also suggested adding an annual line item to the city's budget to provide the theatre with $500,000 each year.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
located at 1215 U Street
U Street Corridor
The U Street Corridor is a commercial and residential neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C with many shops, restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries, and music venues along a nine-block stretch of U Street. It extends from 9th Street on the east to 18th Street and Florida Avenue on the west...
, next to Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the Shaw neighborhood of northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been an integral part of the neighborhood's history since its...
. The theater, located on "Washington's Black Broadway", served the city's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community when segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
kept them out of other venues. The Lincoln Theatre included a movie house and ballroom, and hosted jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
performers such as Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
. The theater closed after the 1968 race-related riots
1968 Washington, D.C. riots
Five days of race riots erupted in Washington, D.C. following the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement-leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil unrest affected at least 110 U.S...
. It was restored and reopened in 1994, and hosts a variety of performances and events. The U Street Metro station, which opened in 1991, is located across the street from Lincoln Theater.
History
Construction of the Lincoln Theatre began in the summer of 1921, and it opened in 1922. The Lincoln Theatre, which showed silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, served the city's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community. The theatre was designed by Reginald Geare, in collaboration with Harry Crandall, a local theater operator.
In 1927, the Lincoln Theatre was sold to A.E. Lichtman, who decided to turn it into a luxurious movie house, and added a ballroom. The theatre was wired for sound in 1928. The ballroom, known as Lincoln Colonnade, and the theater were known as the center of "Washington's Black Broadway". Performers at Lincoln Theatre have included Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, and Sarah Vaughn. A television projection system was installed at Lincoln Theatre in 1952. The movie house televised boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
fights on many occasions, such as the Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
-Joey Maxim
Joey Maxim
Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli was an American boxer. He was a light heavyweight champion of the world. He took the ring-name Joey Maxim from the Maxim gun, the world's first self-acting machine gun, based on his ability to rapidly throw a large number of left jabs.-Early career:Maxim was born in...
bout on June 25, 1952.
The Lincoln Theatre struggled financially after desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
opened other movie theaters to African-Americans beginning in 1953. In the late 1950s, the Colonnade was demolished. The theater fell into disrepair after the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots
1968 Washington, D.C. riots
Five days of race riots erupted in Washington, D.C. following the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement-leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil unrest affected at least 110 U.S...
. In 1978, the Lincoln Theatre was divided into two theaters, and was known as the Lincoln "Twins". In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Lincoln Theater featured "All-Night Movie" shows on the weekend, attracting hundreds each weekend. The Lincoln Theatre was sold to developer Jeffrey Cohen in 1983, who closed it for renovations. The theater remained boarded up for many years.
Restoration
The Lincoln Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1993. In 1993, the theatre was restored by the U Street Theatre Foundation, with $9 million of aid from the District of Columbia government. The restoration started in 1989 by developer Jeffrey N. Cohen, who was working on a controversial $250 million redevelopment plan, "Jackson Plaza", for the Shaw/U-Street area. In 1990, Cohen ran into financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 1991. Restoration of the theater was taken over by the District government and the foundation. The restoration work was done by the design firm, Leo A. Daly. The building has a brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
exterior, and the interior features Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
trim.
A "sneak preview" of the renovated theater was held on September 16, 1993 for D.C. Councilmember Frank Smith, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
Sharon Pratt Kelly
Sharon Pratt Kelly , formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and now known as Sharon Pratt, was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Pratt was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city...
, and 1,000 attendees. The theatre officially reopened on February 4, 1994 with a performance of Barry Scott's Ain't Got Long to Stay Here, which was about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
In March 1995, Lincoln Theatre hosted a play, Where Eagles Fly, written by local playwright Carole Mumin. The play told the story of a local elderly woman who fought the Shaw Urban Redevelopment Project that targeted the Shaw neighborhood for demolition, and sought to preserve the neighborhood and its history.
The 1,250-seat theater has hosted theatrical and musical shows, leased space to community groups and for events, and hosted political events such as the mayor's State of the District address. Jazz performances in recent years have included Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown is a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s...
, and Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
. In 2005, the annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival was inaugurated and hosted performances. Others that have performed at the Lincoln Theatre include Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, singer Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
, and comedian Dick Gregory
Dick Gregory
Richard Claxton "Dick" Gregory is an American comedian, social activist, social critic, writer, and entrepreneur....
. Lincoln Theatre has also been a venue for Filmfest DC. The theater has been the primary venue for the annual LBGT film festival Reel Affirmations
Reel Affirmations
Reel Affirmations is a non-profit, all-volunteer LGBT film festival in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1991 and held every year in mid-October, Reel Affirmations is the third largest LGBT film festival in the United States and the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world.-Organization:Reel...
since 1998.
The theater has struggled financially, and has received $500,000 of aid annually for the past five years from the District government. The theater director, Janice Hill, has expressed concerns that the theater may have to shut down due to lack of funds. On January 11, 2007, the District government provided $200,000 to the theatre. Councilmember Jim Graham
Jim Graham
Jim Graham is a U.S. politician and a member of the Council of the District of Columbia. He is a Democrat representing Ward 1 - the most populated and diverse area in Washington, D.C....
also suggested adding an annual line item to the city's budget to provide the theatre with $500,000 each year.
External links
- Lincoln Theatre (official site)