Evening star., 1934-04-15
Death of Ci0il
War President
Occurred 90 Years
Ago Today AHer
Tragic Night.
THeatey Had Pre-
Sented "OurAMeri-
can Cousin ,? Ma
H0NaI Interest i'm
Chair on Which
Lincoln Sat.
BY JOHN CLACETT PROCTOR.

1922 o'clock. that Abraham Lincoln, the
sixteenth President of the United States,
passed away at the home of William Peter
son. SIG Tenth street northwest, opposite
the old Ford's Theater, where one of the
fouest deeds in American history was COM
mitted the night before.
Both buildings still stand as mute reminders
of the dastardly tragedy, and since both struc-
lures are the property of the Government, the
chances are that generations to come will view
them with awe and sadness. Indeed the far
ther we get away from the Civil War, with its
many unpleasant memories, the greater will the
martyr President loom in the hearts OF the
American people, for some day all will know
him alike for his sympathetic nature, his kind
ness of heart, his unselfish motives, his hgh
ideals and his devotion to country
The interior of the theater building has
been stripped Of everything that went toward
making it the most attractive playhouse IN
Washington in 1865, but its walls are the same.
and picture of the building at that time would
be a good view of it today, though it stands
in a new neighborhood, where old buildings are
the exception.
As has been said before in these columns
the First Baptist Church originally occupied
this site with Rev. Obadiah Brown as pastor
The building was erected in 1884, and the first
services held there were on June e. A quar-
ter of century later the church property
was offered for sale and was sold December
10. 1861, to David w. Heath, who soon con-
veyed part interest in it to John T. Ford.
A month prior to this, however, the building
was first used as theater by Miss Carlotta
Patti "the celebrated cantatrice" (Which IN
plain words means a female professional
singer, who opened the house, the date being
November 49,
George Christy and his MINISTRIES followed
Miss Patti, and the theater is referred to as
George Christy's New Opera House." Christys
lease having expired, John T. Ford got control
of the property and opened the theater on Au-
gust %, 1852, "Ford's Theater." Four months
later, on December 80, the building was en-
tirely destroyed by fre-and this was the end
of the structure that had once done duty as
a church.
\ AR. FORD was an alert business man, and
wi in just year from the burning of the
old building, the ruins had been removed and
a modern theater erected on the spot. The
proprietor did not hesitate to advertise the fact
in the city directory for 1885, as follows:
"FORDS
NEW THEATER,
Tenth Street, between E and F,
One and half squares North of Penn Avenue,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Erected AID. 1868. Opened Aug. 81, 1863.
Capacity, 2500
JOHN T. FORD,
Proprietor and Manager.
Post Office Address, Baltimore, Md"
Exteriorally, the new building was severely
plain, just as we see 1t today, but the interior
is said to have been very attractive, the ar
rangement of seats "being totally unlike that
of most theaters." The parquette was equipped
with cane-seat chairs, rising in gradual eleva
tion so that clear and unobstructed view of
the stage could be had by every one. The first
tier, or balcony, was said to have been COM
modous and opened into a retiring salon,
brilliantly illuminated. second tier, corre-
spending to the family circle, completed the
seating part of the house.
There were eight private boxes in the thea
ter, built on new. and original lines, four on
each side of the stage, tVo lower and two
upper The lower ones are said to have been
scarcely more than loopholes, and to have been
excellent points from which to see and remain
unseen, if one wished to do SO. The upper
boxes were elevated but = short distance above
fha stage and from. them any one might easily