Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.)

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Warner Theatre
Warner Theatre - Washington, D.C..jpg
Warner Theatre in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Address 513 13th Street, N.W.
City Washington, D.C.
Country United States
Architect C. Howard Crane
Owned by The Kaempfer Company
Operated by Live Nation
Capacity 1,847
Opened 1924
Reopened 1992
Previous names Earle Theatre
Current use music venue
Website
warnertheatredc.com

The Warner Theatre is a theater located at 513 13th Street, N.W. in Downtown Washington, D.C.. The basement level is at 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Contents

History[edit]

Originally named the Earle Theatre, it was built in 1924 as a movie palace presenting live vaudeville and first run silent movies. It was designed by theatre architect C. Howard Crane of Detroit. It had a rooftop garden, basement ballroom, and restaurant.

This is the Army

On August 12, 1943, the movie This Is the Army premiered there.[1] In 1945, the theater began showing movies exclusively. The theater was renamed in 1947 in honor of its owner, Harry Warner, one of the founders of Warner Brothers.

By the 1970s, the Warner Theatre had fallen into disrepair and was briefly used to screen pornographic films before being revived as a live concert venue.

The Warner closed for renovations in 1989 and reopened in 1992. The reopened theater added theatrical and dance productions to the musical performances on its calendar.

In 1992, Frank Sinatra performed there.

In 2007, it was the venue for the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The recipient of the first Gershwin Prize was Paul Simon.

The theater is also home to The BET Honors ceremony, held annually.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

  • Warner Theater official website [1]