Lincoln Theatre

This historic theater, built in 1921, was once a thriving center of social and artistic life on Washington’s U Street, considered DC’s Black Broadway. But the building, like the neighborhood around it, had fallen on hard times. The government of the District of Columbia undertook an ambitious $17 million program to restore the 1600-seat theater to its former glory. The theater strives to preserve the cultural heritage of the area by subsidizing programming for African American performances and community theater groups. The Lincoln Theater holds an important place in the history of DC’s African American community.