“Hideous!” some people exclaimed. Lincoln Hall stood at 9th and D Streets NW from 1867 to 1886. Let’s journey back to a time when this hall was one of Washington’s most vibrant cultural hubs.
Lincoln Hall was built in 1867. It quickly became one of the finest auditoriums in the Nation’s Capital. Think of it as a 19th-century precursor to the Kennedy Center. The YMCA and other organizations erected this ornate building. The Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Army veterans group, also used the third floor. They used it before constructing their own meeting hall.
Imagine the scene inside Lincoln Hall. James Goode described it as extravagant. The ornamentation may have been in questionable taste. Yet, it offered whimsical delight. Lincoln Hall housed lecture halls and a theater. It served as Washington’s cultural center and even an opera house.
However, tragedy struck. A devastating fire consumed Lincoln Hall in 1886. It was 2 a.m. on a snowy December night. The fire started in a dressing room beneath the stage. Opera scenery fueled the flames. The Washington Post described the scene poetically. Canvas scenery covered with oily paint ignited quickly. The ground was white with snow. Red-hot cinders rained down.
The Evening Star newspaper offered a different perspective. They editorialized that Washington would breathe a sigh of relief. The newspaper thought the building was poorly planned. Escape during a fire or panic would have been nearly impossible. They hoped such a structure would never be built again.
After the fire, the site was cleared. In 1890, the Academy of Music was built there. It remained until the 1950s.
Interestingly, Lincoln Hall was the site of a significant moment in civil rights history. In 1879, Robert Ingersoll was invited to speak about Kansas emigrants. The YMCA, which controlled the building, initially denied him permission. Instead, Ingersoll sent a letter and a donation. Four years later, Frederick Douglass introduced Ingersoll at Lincoln Hall. Ingersoll delivered his famous civil rights oration. He spoke against a Supreme Court decision upholding segregation. He declared that all citizens of the United States have equal rights.
Though Lincoln Hall is gone, its story remains. It was a place of culture, controversy, and important civil rights advocacy. Today, an office building stands on the site of Lincoln Hall. It is a reminder of what once was. It is a reminder of how times changed in Washington D.C.