Advertisement for opening of Ford's Atheneum

As a high-class theatre, Ford’s Atheneum aimed to attract Washington City’s elite. President Lincoln visited for the first time on May 28, 1862 to see a concert. But events took a turn for the worse on December 30, 1862, when a fire, caused by a defective gas meter in the cellar, destroyed the building. Fortunately, no one died in the blaze, but the damage was severe.