Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.

Ford's Theatre is renowned for its association with the tragic event in which President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while attending a play on April 14, 1865. However, it didn't initially serve as a theater. Built in 1833 as the First Baptist Church of Washington's home, it later became a theater after John Ford renovated it. A fire in 1862 destroyed it, but it was quickly rebuilt.

In August 1863, the newly rebuilt Ford's Theater, with over 2,000 seats, hosted its first audience. President Lincoln, with his wife and friends, attended a play there in April. Amid post-Civil War tension, John Wilkes Booth, upset by the Confederacy's loss, entered the Presidential box and fatally shot Lincoln. Lincoln died the next day at the nearby Petersen House.

In response to President Lincoln's assassination, Congress acquired the theater and enacted legislation prohibiting its future use as a theater. The government repurposed the building for various functions, including storage and office space. Tragically, in 1893, a section of the structure collapsed, resulting in the tragic loss of 22 lives. The fire, assassination, and building collapse led to rumors of a curse, but repairs were made, and the building was used until 1931.

In the 1940s, there was growing awareness of the significant historical heritage at risk of being lost. However, it wasn't until 1955 that Congress passed legislation permitting the restoration of the theater. In 1968, Ford's Theatre was once again inaugurated as a functioning theater. Today, both the theater and the Petersen House are preserved together as a National Historic Site.

Tip:
Sit in the back of the theater; that way, when they open the door to the Peterson House across the street you can be one of the first in line.
Both the Peterson House and Ford's Theater have gift shops, with the former perhaps a better shop than the latter.