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Lincoln Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
The Lincoln Theatre is a 582-seat performing arts venue located at 769 E. Long Street in the King-Lincoln
neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio
.
The theater is owned by the City of Columbus under the auspices of the Lincoln Theatre Association. Operation of the facility is managed by CAPA
.
style, it originally offered films along with live vaudeville
and musical performers. The large ballroom was also used for social events. The theater was renamed the Lincoln in 1939 and continued operating as a movie theater
through the 1960s. It also regularly presented musical artists including local star Nancy Wilson, Count Basie
, and Cab Calloway
.
Closed from the early 1970s, the Lincoln was the object of numerous unrealized restoration projects in the following decades. Finally, in 2007, the current Lincoln Theatre Association led a coalition of supporters including the City of Columbus, Mayor Michael B. Coleman
, Franklin County, and local businesses to launch a thorough renovation of the theater. Combining restoration of the original Egyptian-themed decorative elements with completely modern facilities, seating and stage equipment, the renovated venue reopened to the public on May 25, 2009 with an open house. The first performance featured Broadway star Maurice Hines
on May 28, 2009. Hines was also named Artistic Director in Residence for the year 2009.
The theater is operated by CAPA and is creating partnerships with ten local performing arts organizations to present a varied slate of events. One of these, the Columbus Jazz Arts Group will present concerts at the theater and it will also operate a Jazz Academy in a new facility on the upper floors of the Lincoln building. The Jazz Academy will offer music education and coaching sessions and informal performances.
The Lincoln Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Its restoration and reopening are a key part of the City of Columbus's long-term plan to redevelop the historic King-Lincoln neighborhood.
King-Lincoln Bronzeville
King-Lincoln Bronzeville is a historically African American neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, and the site of considerable revitalisation and renovation projects on behalf of the city....
neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
The theater is owned by the City of Columbus under the auspices of the Lincoln Theatre Association. Operation of the facility is managed by CAPA
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts
The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts is non-profit arts and theater management organization based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:CAPA was formed in 1969 by Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence L...
.
History
Opened on November 26, 1928 as the Ogden Theatre, the theater was developed by the local entrepreneur Al Jackson and designed by architect Carl Anderson. It fulfilled a then pressing need of the African-American community in Columbus for its own entertainment and cultural center. Designed in the Egyptian RevivalEgyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile during 1798....
style, it originally offered films along with live vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and musical performers. The large ballroom was also used for social events. The theater was renamed the Lincoln in 1939 and continued operating as a movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
through the 1960s. It also regularly presented musical artists including local star Nancy Wilson, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, and Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
.
Closed from the early 1970s, the Lincoln was the object of numerous unrealized restoration projects in the following decades. Finally, in 2007, the current Lincoln Theatre Association led a coalition of supporters including the City of Columbus, Mayor Michael B. Coleman
Michael B. Coleman
Michael B. Coleman is an American politician of the Democratic Party, the 52nd and current mayor of Columbus, Ohio. He is the first African-American mayor of Ohio's capital....
, Franklin County, and local businesses to launch a thorough renovation of the theater. Combining restoration of the original Egyptian-themed decorative elements with completely modern facilities, seating and stage equipment, the renovated venue reopened to the public on May 25, 2009 with an open house. The first performance featured Broadway star Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his...
on May 28, 2009. Hines was also named Artistic Director in Residence for the year 2009.
The theater is operated by CAPA and is creating partnerships with ten local performing arts organizations to present a varied slate of events. One of these, the Columbus Jazz Arts Group will present concerts at the theater and it will also operate a Jazz Academy in a new facility on the upper floors of the Lincoln building. The Jazz Academy will offer music education and coaching sessions and informal performances.
The Lincoln Theatre is listed on 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...
. Its restoration and reopening are a key part of the City of Columbus's long-term plan to redevelop the historic King-Lincoln neighborhood.