Howard Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Howard Theatre is a historic theatre
, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C..
Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
In its heyday, the theatre was known for catering to an African-American clientele, and played host to many of the great black musical artists of the early and mid-twentieth century. The Howard was billed as the "Theater of the People", and played host to two theatrical organizations, the Lafayette Players and the Howard University
Players. In September 2010 extensive renovations were started to restore the theatre to its former glory.
boxes, with a lavishly decorated interior. No less extravagant was the exterior, which combined elements of the Beaux-Arts, Italian Renaissance
, and neoclassical
styles; the whole was surmounted by an over-lifesized statue of Apollo
playing his lyre
.
Andrew Thomas served as the theatre's manager during its early years, and beginning in 1922 it was leased and run by actor, producer, and enterpreneur Sherman Dudley. It was taken over in 1926 by Abe Lichtman, the white owner of a chain of movie theatres that were frequented by blacks. With the onset of the Great Depression
, the building became a church for a time. In 1931, as part of the venue's return to its original purpose, Duke Ellington
appeared with his band at the Howard, helping also to cement the theatre's reputation as an entertainment hotspot. This rebirth was helped along by Shep Allen, the building's new manager; in the 1930s he introduced an amateur contest that was used as a springboard to stardom by Billy Eckstine
and Ella Fitzgerald
.
The Howard lost its original ornate facade in 1941 when it was redone in the then-fashionable Streamline
style. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor
would attend balls at the theatre during World War II
; such balls featured performers like Danny Kaye
, Abbott and Costello
and Cesar Romero
, among others. Also in the 1940s, Pearl Bailey
made her debut at the Howard.
The Howard turned into a house for rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues
during the 1950s and 1960s, and many important acts from both genres played there. Among the acts to grace the stage were Buddy Holly
, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
, James Brown and the Flames, Otis Redding, All Motown & Stax Recording Stars, Lena Horne
and Lionel Hampton
. The 1968 riots which followed the assassination
of Martin Luther King, Jr.
caused the venue a great deal of harm; these, coupled with desegregation
, forced the theatre's closure in 1970. Three years later the Howard Theater Foundation was organized to reopen the Howard; it was this organization which succeeded, in 1974, in gaining the building a National Register nomination. In 1975, Redd Fox and Melba Moore
were among the acts featured at the theatre's reopening. Later in the decade, numerous go-go bands played the venue. Chuck Brown
and the Soul Searchers also performed numerous times at the Howard throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980, the theatre closed again; at the time it was the oldest venue in the country that featured black artists.
The DC Preservation League listed the Howard as one of its Most Endangered Places in the city in 2002. In September 2010, groundbreaking for extensive renovations of the theatre were held. At a cost of $28 million, the project will restore the Howard Theatre to 600 seats, complimenting developments at the adjacent Progression Place.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C..
Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
In its heyday, the theatre was known for catering to an African-American clientele, and played host to many of the great black musical artists of the early and mid-twentieth century. The Howard was billed as the "Theater of the People", and played host to two theatrical organizations, the Lafayette Players and the Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
Players. In September 2010 extensive renovations were started to restore the theatre to its former glory.
History
The theatre was founded and owned by the National Amusement Company, a white-owned group; when built it had a capacity of more than 1,200. Designed by J. Edward Storck, the theatre featured orchestra and balcony seats as well as eight prosceniumProscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
boxes, with a lavishly decorated interior. No less extravagant was the exterior, which combined elements of the Beaux-Arts, Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, and neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
styles; the whole was surmounted by an over-lifesized statue of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
playing his lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
.
Andrew Thomas served as the theatre's manager during its early years, and beginning in 1922 it was leased and run by actor, producer, and enterpreneur Sherman Dudley. It was taken over in 1926 by Abe Lichtman, the white owner of a chain of movie theatres that were frequented by blacks. With the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the building became a church for a time. In 1931, as part of the venue's return to its original purpose, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
appeared with his band at the Howard, helping also to cement the theatre's reputation as an entertainment hotspot. This rebirth was helped along by Shep Allen, the building's new manager; in the 1930s he introduced an amateur contest that was used as a springboard to stardom by Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
and Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
.
The Howard lost its original ornate facade in 1941 when it was redone in the then-fashionable Streamline
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
style. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
would attend balls at the theatre during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; such balls featured performers like Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
and Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
, among others. Also in the 1940s, Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
made her debut at the Howard.
The Howard turned into a house for rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
during the 1950s and 1960s, and many important acts from both genres played there. Among the acts to grace the stage were Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, James Brown and the Flames, Otis Redding, All Motown & Stax Recording Stars, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
and Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
. The 1968 riots which followed the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
caused the venue a great deal of harm; these, coupled with desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, forced the theatre's closure in 1970. Three years later the Howard Theater Foundation was organized to reopen the Howard; it was this organization which succeeded, in 1974, in gaining the building a National Register nomination. In 1975, Redd Fox and Melba Moore
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
were among the acts featured at the theatre's reopening. Later in the decade, numerous go-go bands played the venue. Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown is a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s...
and the Soul Searchers also performed numerous times at the Howard throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980, the theatre closed again; at the time it was the oldest venue in the country that featured black artists.
The DC Preservation League listed the Howard as one of its Most Endangered Places in the city in 2002. In September 2010, groundbreaking for extensive renovations of the theatre were held. At a cost of $28 million, the project will restore the Howard Theatre to 600 seats, complimenting developments at the adjacent Progression Place.