Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
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 Lincoln Theatre
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| Address | 1215 U St. NW |
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| Location | Washington, District of Columbia |
| Coordinates | 38°55′1″N 77°1′46″W / 38.91694°N 77.02944°WCoordinates: 38°55′1″N 77°1′46″W / 38.91694°N 77.02944°W |
| Public transit | U Street station |
| Owner | DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities |
| Operator | I.M.P. |
| Type | Theatre |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1921-1922 |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Renovated | 1989-1993 |
| Architect | Reginald W. Geare |
| Website | |
| www |
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Lincoln Theatre
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Part of | Greater U Street Historic District (#93001129) |
| NRHP Reference # | 93001129 |
| Added to NRHP | October 27, 1993 |
Lincoln Theatre is a 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 Lincoln Theater.
Construction of the Lincoln Theatre began in the summer of 1921, and it opened in 1922. The Lincoln Theatre, which showed silent film and vaudeville, served the city's black community. The theatre was designed by Reginald Geare, in collaboration with Harry Crandall, a local theater operator.
In 1927, the Lincoln Theatre was sold to A.E. Lichtman, who decided to turn it into a luxurious movie house, and added a ballroom. The theatre was wired for sound in 1928. The ballroom, known as Lincoln Colonnade, and the theater were known as the center of "Washington's Black Broadway". Performers at Lincoln Theatre have included Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. A television projection system was installed at Lincoln Theatre in 1952. The movie house televised boxing fights on many occasions, such as the Sugar Ray Robinson-Joey Maxim bout on June 25, 1952.
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