Address | 620 T St. NW Washington, D.C. 20001-5117 |
---|---|
Location | Shaw |
Coordinates | 38°54′55″N 77°01′25″W / 38.9152388°N 77.0237138°W |
Owner | Council of the District of Columbia |
Operator | Blue Note Entertainment Group |
Capacity | 700 (Reserved) 1,200 (General Admission) |
Construction | |
Opened | August 22, 1910 |
Renovated | 1941, 1972, 2012 |
Architect | J. Edward Storck |
Website | |
Venue Website | |
Building details | |
General information | |
Opened | April 9, 2012 |
Renovation cost | $30 million |
Renovating team | |
Renovating firm | Martinez & Johnson Architecture, Marshall Moya Design |
Structural engineer | Lundy & Franke Engineering |
Services engineer | Metropolitan Engineering |
Civil engineer | Wiles Mensch Engineering |
Main contractor | Whiting-Turner |
Awards and prizes | DC Award for Excellence in Historic Resources (2012) |
Howard Theatre | |
Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
Part of | Greater U Street Historic District[2] |
NRHP reference No. | 74002162[1] |
Added to NRHP | February 15, 1974 |
The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[3]
In its heyday, the theater was known for catering to an African-American clientele, and had played host to many of the great Black musical artists of the early and mid-twentieth century. The Howard Theatre was billed as the "Theater of the People", and supported two theatrical organizations, the Lafayette Players and the Howard University Players.[4] In September 2010 extensive renovations were started to restore the theater to its former glory.[5] The theater reopened on April 9, 2012 to headline acts including Wanda Sykes, Blue Öyster Cult, and Chaka Khan, all of whom appeared in the first month after its reopening.[6]