H Street Playhouse, Theatre in Near Northeast, Washington, D.C.
H Street Playhouse is a theater in Near Northeast Washington housed in a 1928 building displaying Romanesque Revival design. The structure features traditional architectural details along its facade on H Street NE.
The building started as an automotive service facility in the early 1900s before becoming the Plymouth Theatre in 1943. This shift made it an important performance venue for Black audiences throughout the mid-20th century.
The venue served as a performance space where multiple theater companies staged their work for local audiences. It remains a reference point in the neighborhood's artistic memory.
The building sits in the heart of the H Street commercial corridor with good foot traffic and public transit access. Visitors should check the current status of programming before visiting since operations have changed over time.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, decades after it stopped being a theater. This late recognition highlights how long the stories of Black entertainment venues remained overlooked.
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