The Lincoln Theatre is a 582-seat performing arts venue located at 769 E. Long Street in the

King-Lincoln Bronzeville King-Lincoln Bronzeville is a historically African American neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. Originally known as Bronzeville by the residents of the community, it was renamed the King-Lincoln District by Mayor Michael B. Coleman's administration ...

neighborhood of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. 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. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1992.

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 Revival 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 French campaign in Egypt and Syria, invasion of ...

style, it originally offered films along with live

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

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 A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

through the 1960s. It also regularly presented musical artists including local star Nancy Wilson,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

. 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 Maurice Robert Hines Jr. (December 13, 1943 – December 29, 2023) was an American actor, director, singer, and choreographer. He was the older brother of dancer Gregory Hines. Life and career Maurice Robert Hines Jr. was born on December 13, 1 ...

on May 28, 2009.
/ref> 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

Columbus Gay Men's Chorus The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) was formed in 1990 by five people. The non-auditioned chorus maintains the vision of its founding members to foster increased recognition, understanding and acceptance of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transge ...

also performs two shows there each season. The Lincoln Theatre is listed on the

. Its restoration and reopening are a key part of the City of Columbus's long-term plan to redevelop the historic King-Lincoln neighborhood.City of Columbus King-Lincoln redevelopment plan
2002

References

External links

Lincoln Theatre website

Lincoln Theatre at Cinema Treasures

Jazz Academy at Jazz Arts Group website
{{Columbus, Ohio Theatres completed in 1928 Event venues established in 1928 Concert halls in Ohio Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States Theatres in Columbus, Ohio Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio 1928 establishments in Ohio King-Lincoln Bronzeville