The Lincoln Theatre included a ballroom and a movie house, and used to host jazz and big band performers like Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, etc. In 1968, the theatre got closed because of race-related riots. But, it was restored and ultimately it reopened in the year 1994, and till date, it hosts several types of events and performances. For paying a visit to Lincoln Theatre, Washington D.C., the best thing will be to take the Metrorail and get down in the U Street Metro station, which opened in 1991 and is located just across the street from Lincoln Theatre.
Now let’s delve deep into the history of Lincoln Theatre, District of Columbia. In the summer of 1921, the construction of Lincoln theatre began. In 1922 the theatre opened and showed silent film and vaudeville to serve the African American community in the city. The designer of Lincoln Theatre, D.C. is Reginald Geare, in collaboration with Harry Crandall who was a local theatre operator. In 1927, Lincoln Theatre got sold to A.E. Lichtman. This person decided to turn the theatre into a luxurious movie house, with an added ballroom. In 1928, the theatre was wired for sound. The ballroom was known as Lincoln Colonnade, and the theater was known as the center of “Washington’s Black Broadway”.
The Lincoln Theatre got listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the year 1993 and was restored by the U Street Theatre Foundation with more than $9 million of aid from the government of D.C. For more information on the District of Columbia, browse the pages in www.districtofcolumbiaxl.com
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