Ford's Theatre

On 10th Street in Northwest Washington, DC is a building that looks much like it did 150 years ago. Its purpose even remains the same: it is a playhouse. But this theatre was changed 150 years ago, as was the nation. 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. 

 Photo: Hilary Grabowska

Initially, the building was the First Baptist Church of Washington, but John T. Ford purchased the building and redesigned it to be a theatre and it opened in 1863 as Ford's Theatre. John T. Ford, a Maryland native, had been involved in the theatre world for quite some time before he opened his theatre in DC, having managed theatres in other cities before opening Ford's Theatre. 

Photo: fords.org

After General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, the residents of Washington were celebrating the end of the war. The celebrations lasted throughout the week and Ford hoped to fill his theatre on April 14, 1865. Before the Friday performance, Ford received word that President Lincoln, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, General Grant and Mrs. Grant planned to attend the final performance of Laura Keene in Our American Cousin. Ford advertised the attendance of the president in the newspaper and he quickly sold enough tickets to fill his theatre on the night of April 14. 

 Photo: fords.org

After actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth assasinated President Lincoln, the US government took control of the theatre and closed it down. Eventually, the building was returned to Ford and he attempted to resume his business, but many believed this inapporopriate and he received many threats telling him to shut down the theatre. Ford heeded these warnings and sold the building to the US government in 1866. 

Photo: fords.org

The War Department took control of the theatre and made it an office building. This was acceptable because while people did not want it to be a working theatre, they also did not want to memorialize it. However, the third floor of the building collapsed, resulting in the death of 22 employees. 

 Photo: nps.gov

In 1964, the Lincoln Museum, which was housed in the basement of the old Ford's Theatre, displayed a replica of the theatre in 1865. By this time in history, people were interested in the story of Lincoln's assassination and desired more than just a replica. This interest resulted in the restoration of the building to its 1865 design. Today, the theatre is a National Historical Site as well as a working theatre.

 

Photo: Hilary Grabowska (On the stage is the set for the play Freedom's Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. To the right of the stage is the box in which President Lincoln sat and it is decorated as John T. Ford had it decorated to honor the President.)