38°55′1″N 77°1′46″W / 38.91694°N 77.02944°W
![]() Exterior of venue (c.2011) | |
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Address | 1215 U St NW Washington, D.C. 20009-4442 |
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Location | Shaw |
Public transit | U Street station |
Owner | DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities |
Operator | I.M.P. |
Capacity | 1,225 |
Construction | |
Opened | January 22, 1922 |
Renovated | 1989–1993 |
Architect | Reginald W. Geare |
Website | |
Venue Website | |
Lincoln Theatre | |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
Part of | Greater U Street Historic District[2] (ID93001129) |
NRHP reference No. | 93001129[1] |
Added to NRHP | October 27, 1993 |
Lincoln Theatre is a historic 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 the Lincoln Theatre.