Photo by Doug Duvall
A search launched in August for a contractor to take over operations of the historic Lincoln Theatre went fruitless. Instead, the historic U Street NW venue, which came under direct control of the District government in January after its previous owners nearly ran it into bankruptcy, will be leased.
Or, at least, that’s what the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities hopes. After a request for proposals in August failed to produce any satisfactory bids, the D.C. government yesterday issued a call for rental proposals.
The request for letters of intent to lease the 1,225-seat Lincoln Theatre seeks commercial and nonprofit operators with experience running mid- to large-sized entertainment venues who would be interested in rehabbing and running the Lincoln for as long as 10 or 15 years. The arts commission is asking for five- and 10-year plans with the potential for a five-year extension.
While much of the theater is useable—including the stage, auditorium and dressing rooms, the Lincoln is still in desperate need of some upgrades, including to its heating and air conditioning systems. (The Department of General Services is also taking bids on a separate request for proposals to fix up the HVAC infrastructure.)
What the Lincoln needs most of all, though, is an operator that can turn it into an entertainment venue that can actually bring in crowds on a regular basis. Although a run of David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in January was modestly successful, not much else has happened at the theater since then.
The 90-year-old theater once hosted the likes of Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong; today it sits mostly unused and crumbling into disrepair. The Department of General Services is taking lease proposals through January 18.
