FORD’S THEATER
Ford’s Theater Building, in which President Lincoln was assassinated while attending a performance on the night of April 14, 1865, is on the east side of Tenth Street between E and F Streets NW.
The building was originally a Baptist Church and used as such for more than 15 years. It was used as a theater less than three years—from 1862 to 1865—and never as such after the night of the assassination. Taken over immediately by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, it was made over into a 3-story building for use of the War Department and was so used for many years. Now it is a Government building, housing in part a portion of the Oldroyd collection from the Lincoln museum. On April 9, 1893, while repairs were being made, the three floors collapsed, killing 22 clerks and injuring 68.
The residence of Harry C. Ford, who was manager of the theater for his father, John T. Ford, stood adjacent to the theater on the right.