For years, the Howard Theatre has been little more than a shell at the corner of Florida Avenue and T Street NW. This month, though, the renovation of the landmark theatre hit the 80 percent mark as a new sign was hoisted along its facade; the $29 million project is slated to be completed in April 2012.

The theatre was built in 1910 and was once the “largest colored theatre in the world” and the heart of the District’s Black Broadway. It played host to legends from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald, and in 1974 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The new theatre will only have half the 1,200 seats of the original, but it will also feature a museum and gift shop showcasing memorabilia from its past. While the renovation is a much-welcomed addition to Shaw, it certainly faces challenges in the future — the Lincoln Theatre just down the road almost closed last year due to funding issues until the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities seized control over its operations.