Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.)

Warner Theatre

Warner Theatre in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Address	513 13th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. United States
Coordinates	38°53′47″N 77°01′45″W / 38.8963°N 77.0292°W / 38.8963; -77.0292
Owner	Vornado Realty Trust
Operator	Live Nation
Capacity	1,847
Current use	music venue
Construction
Opened	1924
Closed	1989
Reopened	1992
Architect	C. Howard Crane & Kenneth Franzheim II
Website
http://www.warnertheatredc.com/ Official Website]

Warner Theatre is a theatre located at 513 13th Street, N.W. in downtown Washington, D.C. The theatre is attached to an office building called the Warner Building located on 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Warner Theatre was originally developed by Aaron and Julian Brylawski in 1922. Originally named the Earle Theatre, it was built in 1924 as a movie palace presenting live vaudeville and first run silent movies. It was designed by theatre architect C. Howard Crane of Detroit and Kenneth Franzheim II. The Earle Theatre opened December 27, 1924. It had a rooftop garden, basement ballroom, and restaurant. It was said to be "just about the last word in theatre construction, a thing of beauty, a valuable addition to the architectural wealth of the nation's capital." In the 1930s, the basement of the theatre had a restaurant called the Neptune Room.

On August 12, 1943, the movie This Is the Army premiered there. In 1945, the theatre began showing movies exclusively.

The Earle featured its own precision dance troupe – much like the still-famous Rockettes – called the Roxyettes. They would perform before and after films until 1945. They had guest performances by Red Skelton and Jerry Lewis.

The theatre was renamed in 1947 in honor of its owner, Harry Warner, one of the founders of Warner Brothers. Harry Warner was said to have commented "I own that theatre. Put my name up there!"

Some of the biggest acts of the 1930s and 1940s came to the theatre, including Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker, and Duke Ellington.