Lincoln Theatre Restoration

Overview

Once a key performance space for African-American jazz artists, the 1920s-vintage Lincoln Theatre fell into disrepair and sat vacant for almost four decades until its rebirth in 2007, when rehabilitation of this iconic building on the National Register of Historic Places served as a catalyst for revitalizing an historic downtown neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.

Among the acoustic challenges were the need for the reopened facility to offer more varied programming than the Lincoln was originally designed to accommodate, a desire for increased seating capacity and the addition of an orchestra pit, and plans for an ambitious jazz education program that would require simultaneous use of horizontally and vertically aligned spaces for rehearsal, performance, and recording.

Structural aspects of the building itself made implementation of the ideal sound isolation measures impossible, but through careful attention to every detail the team was able to realize the maximum sound isolation possible within the limitations of the building.

The team collaborated closely with the architect to achieve the needed increase in seats and utilization of modern technology while enhancing natural acoustics and implementing a system of variable acoustics that can optimize the venue’s sound for each use while preserving the architectural integrity of the Lincoln’s visually stunning Egyptian Revival interior.