Lisner Auditorium
National Register of Historic Places

Lisner Auditorium

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
October 24, 1990
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
90001548

About this property

Lisner Auditorium is a performance venue sited on the Foggy Bottom campus of George Washington University at 730 21st Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. Named for Abram Lisner (1852-1938), a university trustee and benefactor whose will provided one million dollars towards its construction, it was designed in 1940 and completed in 1946. Constructed in the stripped classicist style of the late Art Deco and host to major classical, folk, rock, blues, opera, and theatrical performances over the decades, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 for its dual significance as an architectural work and as a performance venue. The auditorium played a key role in desegregation at George Washington University and in Washington, D.C.; its 1946 grand opening became a city-wide target for the desegregation of the city's theaters and a catalyst for George Washington students calling on the university to admit African American students. The auditorium seats 1,350 and is the home of the Washington Concert Opera.

Location

730 21st St., NW.
Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.89935, -77.04696

Categories

ARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Lisner Auditorium listed on the National Register?

Lisner Auditorium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 24, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Lisner Auditorium?

Lisner Auditorium is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lisner Auditorium?

The period of significance for Lisner Auditorium is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1852.

Can I research the history near Lisner Auditorium?

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