The rebirth of The Howard Theatre is coming soon. Each day the team of construction workers led by Ellis Development Group pushes forward on the top-to-bottom, $29 million renovation of the historic arts landmark that launched the careers of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and many others.
Chip Ellis, a principal with Ellis Development Group, said as of January, 2012, over 80% of the work has been completed to renovate the theatre, which was constructed in 1910 in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood near the corner of 7th and T Streets, NW. Interior and exterior finishes are now underway, including the special effort to reconstruct the 1910 façade with its original 17 windows.
Already completion is in sight, scheduled for as early as February 2012, leaving time for anticipation to build for the Grand Opening Gala and Tribute Concert to be held on Thursday, April 12, 2012. The list of performers will be announced soon, with unprecedented performances; the Gala will be an evening to remember. Click here to view information about the Benefit Concert.
Howard Theatre: A Century in Song TV Program Wins NABJ Award
The 2010 documentary Howard Theatre: A Century in Song aired on WDCW-TV and produced by Jim Byrne and Fran Murphy won a “Salute to Excellence” award from the National Association of Black Journalists in August 2011. In addition, the television documentary was nominated for a regional Emmy.
The documentary features reporter, Robin Hamilton, interviewing performers, historians and Washingtonians, as well as archival photos and video clips.
Community and City Leaders Gather for Howard Theatre Groundbreaking Ceremony
The Story of The Howard Theatre
Jazz is the sound of our heritage. It is an American idiom with African roots — a trunk of soul with limbs reaching in every direction.
Before the Apollo, before the Regal, there was The Howard Theatre. At its opening in 1910 it was “the largest colored theatre in the world.” Sadly shuttered and neglected since the early 1980s, the once majestic building with its “trunk of soul” has survived death in order to be reborn in 2012.
For most of the 20th century, The Howard Theatre, located in the
heart of Washington, DC, near the corner of 7th and T, held audiences captive with music, dance, drama and comedy. Speakers like Booker T. Washington shared the stage with musicals, road shows, vaudeville acts, theater productions and community programs. Later, Washington’s favorite son Duke Ellington opened a new era of jazz big bands on The Howard’s stage.
When the nation was deeply divided by segregation, The Howard Theatre provided a place where color barriers blurred and music unified. The Washington Bee dubbed it the “Theatre for The People” for it was the place where dignitaries, like President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the First Lady gathered with everyday folks to see both superstars and rising stars – many of whom debuted at The Howard Theatre. Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Billy Taylor and Bill Kenny of the Ink Spots made way for talents like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gilespie, Shirley Horn, and comedians Petey Greene, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley.
The Howard Theatre inspired change, yet felt the impact of a nation in flux following the 1968 riots. Eventually, the degradation of the neighborhood forced the theater to close. After several false starts in the late ’70s and early ’80s to reinvigorate The Howard, the curtains fell.