 
Exterior of Ford's Theater
NPS Photo
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Ford's Theater was the location of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865, while the President and Mrs. Lincoln were attending a performance of the play, "Our American Cousin." Actor John Wilkes Booth, in this first assassination of an American president, removed Lincoln from leadership at the end of the American Civil War.
The old Ford's Theater building was first constructed as the First Baptist Church in 1833. In 1859 the structure was abandoned as a place of worship, and in 1861 John T. Ford, a theater entrepreneur from Baltimore, renovated the building. In December the theater burned to the ground and in 1863 a more elaborate edifice was constructed.
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Photograph of Ford's Theater taken soon after President Lincoln's assasination
NPS Photo
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Ford's Theater is a three-story brick structure with five arched doorways at street level. The exterior walls are the only portions remaining of the 19th century theater. The National Park Service acquired the theater in 1933, and the entire interior was reconstructed in the 1960s to recreate its historic appearance on the night of the assassination.
The Petersen House is the house where Lincoln died. At the time of Lincoln's death, the house across from Ford's Theater (now 516 10th Street) was owned by William A. Petersen, a German tailor. Petersen constructed the plain red brick three-story and basement townhouse in 1849. The Park Service acquired the house in 1933, and has maintained it as a historic house museum, recreating the scene at the time of Lincoln's death.
Ford's Theatre National Historic
Site is located at 511 10th St., NW. Ford’s Theatre is currently closed for renovations, but you can take a virtual tour by visiting the Ford’s Theatre Society website. Please
check their website for the most
current information on this site. It is normally open daily from 9:00
am to 5:00 pm and is closed December 25th. Metro stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown
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