Storied Stage Could Go Dark

U Street Venue Close to Broke, Director Says

The Lincoln Theatre, the historic U Street stage once lighted up by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, is near-broke and will close within weeks unless it gets a substantial cash infusion, the theater's director said yesterday.

The Lincoln had $1,362 in the bank as of yesterday and will have to tap a line of credit to meet its payroll, utility bills and other expenses, said Janice Hill, the theater's director.

The theater had counted on a $500,000 grant from the District government, which owns the property. But a District official told Hill last month that the government did not have the funds. She estimated that the theater could remain open for six weeks with the credit and incoming revenue.

"If I can't make payroll, if I can't make my utility bill, I can't stay open," Hill said. "I'm hoping an angel will come."

Neil O. Albert, deputy mayor for economic development, has designated a team to assess the theater's needs, said Valca Valentine, his spokeswoman.

In the meantime, she said, the office plans to provide a grant -- she could not immediately say the amount -- to help the theater cover expenses. "We want to sustain the Lincoln Theatre," Valentine said.

Opened in 1922, the Lincoln for decades was a glittering showcase for African American performers on U Street NW, a boulevard known in its heyday as the Black Broadway. Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and many other stars regularly packed the theater's 1,200 seats.

After desegregation opened other parts of the city to black patrons in the 1950s, the Lincoln began to experience financial difficulties, culminating with the 1968 riots, which destroyed many businesses, particularly along U Street.

The theater closed in 1984 before reopening a decade later as a focal point of the District's campaign to revitalize U Street. The city spent $9 million renovating and refurbishing the theater's once-lavish interior, including its brass railings and chandeliers.

In recent years, the Lincoln has presented theatrical and musical performances. It also has leased its space to not-for-profit community groups to host jazz shows, dance performances and a gay and lesbian film festival.

But the theater has had difficulty generating enough revenue to pay its bills. For the past five years, the District gave it $250,000 annually to subsidize the leasing of the theater to the local groups. And last year, the District gave it $250,000 more to help cover expenses.

Based on discussions with District officials, Hill said she and the theater's board of directors had expected the same financial support this year, only to learn otherwise last month from John McGaw, then on staff with the Office of Economic Development.

McGaw, who left his job as Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) took office, confirmed that he told Hill that then-Deputy Mayor Stanley Jackson "did not have funding to make the grant."

Reached at home yesterday, Jackson, who also left his post when Fenty became mayor, said he was unaware of any financial commitment that his office made to the theater for this year.

But Rick Lee, chairman of the theater's trustees, said Jackson had promised "that everything would all right."

"They're playing games with us," Lee said. "The Lincoln is an integral part of what's going on on U Street."

Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), whose district includes the theater, said he also believed that Jackson's office had planned to provide the funding.

"There was a commitment made, and somehow it was lost in the shuffle; that constitutes a crisis," Graham said. "We've got to get the right response from the new deputy mayor and Mayor Fenty to resolve this issue, and that's what we'll do."