Howard Theatre
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.
Exterior of theatre after renovation (c. 2015) | |
| Address | 620 T St. NW Washington, D.C. 20001-5117 |
|---|---|
| Location | Shaw |
| Coordinates | 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 | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Part of | Greater U Street Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002162 |
| Added to NRHP | February 15, 1974 |
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. In September 2010 extensive renovations were started to restore the theater to its former glory. 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.