Lincoln Theatre Concert Venue / Theater

The Lincoln Theatre, located at 1215 U Street in Washington, D.C., is an historic building designed by Reginald Geare in 1921 as a silent film and vaudeville theater. It was purchased in 1927 by A.E. Lichtman, who added a ballroom to the venue and later wired the theater for sound. Soon after, the Lincoln Theatre became known as the heart of “Washington's Black Broadway.”

The Lincoln Theatre struggled with desegregation after the race riots in 1968, and subsequently closed and fell into disrepair. In 1993, the Lincoln Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored by the U Street Theatre Foundation with assistance from the government. The Lincoln Theatre reopened after restoration in 1994.

Past performers at the Lincoln Theatre have included Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan. Boxing matches at the Lincoln Theatre were projected via a television projection system beginning in 1952. Plays at the Lincoln Theatre have included performances of Barry Scott's Ain't Got Long to Stay Here and Carole Mumin's Where Eagles Fly.

Events at the Lincoln Theatre include Filmfest DC and the annual LGBT Reel Affirmation film festival. Concerts at The Lincoln Theatre have been given by Damien Rice and Brian Stokes Mitchell.