Two of the most profound places to visit in the nation’s capital are Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot our 16th President at the former. The following morning, Lincoln drew his last breath across the street at the latter.
With the opening today of the “Ford’s Theater Center for Education and Leadership,” visitors, history buffs and Lincoln learners now have a third place to visit. On the 203rd anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, the new center opened its doors to the public this morning. The five-story venue is located in the renovated office building across the street from the theatre, and next door to the Petersen House.
The Center features permanent exhibits with artifacts not seen before by the public, a Lincoln Memorial theater, education studios, a Leadership Gallery floor with lecture space, and a retail store.
The early star of the show is a 34-foot high stack of books written about Lincoln. Actually, this tower is a “fire-proof aluminum fake” sculpture that visitors are allowed to touch.
One free ticket will suffice for Ford’s Theater, the Petersen House, and the new Center. There’s no charge for admission, but obtaining timed tickets in advance is recommended, especially for the spring and beyond. If you want to reserve without going there, Ticketmaster will issue them for a $2.50 service fee.
For the two open houses (today and Feb 21), you can only get your admission ticket at the Box Office, unless you are part of a group.
From what I gathered, once you get your ticket, you can’t proceed directly to the Center. Instead two options.
One is to go with the group, who takes in the museum at Ford's Theatre, a presentation at Ford’s Theatre, and then entry to the Center via the Petersen House. It took us about an hour to reach that point.
Or you can join the group when they come out of Ford’s Theatre and walk across the street to the Petersen House.
In either case you walk through the house, viewing the room where First Lady Mary waited, a second where others gathered and then the room where President Lincoln died from his head wound. You then take an elevator up to the new center’s fourth floor, and work your way down.
There’s no return to the Petersen House and you exit at the bottom of the Center, where the retail store is located.
If you've already been to the Ford's Theatre, it's somewhat annoying to have to do it again, but all in all, this is a wonderful new experience. I haven't been this excited since the opening of the Newseum three years ago. President Lincoln would be proud...
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