{"nrhp_refnum":"09000149","name":"Lincoln Theater","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2300 S. Central Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.01504029900008,"lon":-118.25357634099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-03-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A reinforced concrete theater building at the southeast corner of South Central Avenue and East 23rd Street in Los Angeles, constructed in 1926 and designed by architect John Paxton Perrine in an Exotic Revival (Moorish) style.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theater is significant under Criterion A in Ethnic Heritage (Black) as the last remaining theater in Los Angeles that catered to the African American community. It was a major entertainment venue along Central Avenue, free of racial discrimination, and showcased Black performers. Criteria Consideration A applies because a religious institution has owned it since 1962.","narrative":"Located at the corner of South Central Avenue and East 23rd Street in Los Angeles, this 1926 theater was designed by John Paxton Perrine in an Exotic Revival style with Moorish and Islamic decorative elements. The reinforced concrete building has a three-story stucco front with an arcade of multi-lobed arches, onion-shaped capitals and ceramic tile, then an auditorium and a taller stage house behind. Inside, a wide lobby staircase and richly painted and sculpted auditorium walls carry the same ornament. The theater opened in 1927 and became a major gathering place along the Central Avenue corridor, at a time when Black patrons were excluded from or segregated in many downtown theaters. It hosted stage shows, plays, concerts, vaudeville and film, and featured performers such as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Sammy Davis Jr. It is the last remaining Los Angeles theater that served the African American community. A church has owned it since 1962 and still uses it.","period_of_significance":"1926-1958","architect_builder":"Perrine, John Paxton, architect","architectural_style":"Exotic Revival - Moorish","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still used as a theater space and operating as a church; the exterior is mostly unaltered, with replaced ground-floor storefronts and doors, a few replaced second-story windows, and a small 1981 addition on the south side.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.742836-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/09000149.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000149/aa513a14af-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000149/aa513a14af-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cbl62","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Theater_(Los_Angeles).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cbl62</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Theater_(Los_Angeles).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857536","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Theater_(Los_Angeles)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6551043"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/lincoln-theater-09000149/"}