Lincoln Theater
A historic Moorish Revival theater in South Los Angeles that became a major African American entertainment venue before being converted to church use.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Lincoln Theater is a historic theater building on South Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Constructed in 1926–1927 and opened in October 1927, it was created as a large movie-palace-style venue serving the African American community at a time when Black audiences and performers faced exclusion or segregation in many downtown Los Angeles theaters. The building was designed by architect John Paxton Perrine in an Exotic Revival and Moorish Revival style, with a prominent symmetrical facade, decorative ceramic tile, onion-shaped capitals, lance-like spires, a large stage, orchestra pit, and seating for approximately 2,100 people. The theater quickly became one of the most important cultural institutions on the Central Avenue Corridor, a roughly one-mile area that developed into the economic and cultural center of Los Angeles's African American community from the 1920s through the 1950s. Alongside churches, hotels, newspapers, social organizations, and other businesses, the Lincoln offered a venue where Black audiences could attend performances without the restrictions imposed at segregated mainstream theaters. Its programming combined motion pictures with live theater, vaudeville, concerts, talent shows, and other stage entertainment. The Lincoln's resident Lafayette Players helped establish its reputation as a serious dramatic venue. The company included prominent African American performers such as Clarence Muse, Charles Sidney Gilpin, and Abbie Mitchell. The theater also presented or hosted major musicians and entertainers including Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, the Nat King Cole Trio, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Louis Jordan, Pigmeat Markham, Fats Domino, B.B. King, and Sammy Davis Jr. Because its roster overlapped with that of Harlem's Apollo Theater, the Lincoln was sometimes called the “West Coast Apollo.” Its audience was not exclusively Black; contemporary reporting noted that white patrons also attended to see Black performers presented for their own community rather than through stereotyped mainstream conventions. The venue's original entertainment role ended after its sale in 1962 to the Southern California First Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. It was adapted for religious use and became known as the Crouch Temple under Bishop Samuel M. Crouch. Later religious occupants included Iglesia de Cristo Ministries Juda. The building continues to be used for religious services rather than operating as a conventional commercial theater. Lincoln Theater is significant both for African American cultural history in Los Angeles and for the development of the Central Avenue Corridor. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 as part of the African Americans in Los Angeles multiple-property submission. Although no longer functioning primarily as a performance venue, the building remains an important surviving landmark associated with Black entertainment, jazz history, theatrical production, and the struggle for equal access to cultural institutions.
History
Lincoln Theater emerged from the growth of Los Angeles's African American population and the limited access Black residents had to major entertainment venues. During the 1910s and 1920s, many downtown theaters either excluded African Americans or restricted them to segregated seating. At the same time, South Central Avenue developed a network of Black-owned and Black-oriented institutions, including churches, hotels, newspapers, social organizations, and commercial establishments. The theater became one of the most prominent cultural buildings in this Central Avenue Corridor. The building was constructed between 1926 and 1927 at a reported cost of $500,000. West Coast Theaters was involved in its development, with a board that included Mike Gore, Adolph Ramish, Sol Lesser, and Joseph Schenk. Architect John Paxton Perrine designed the structure as a grand movie palace with Moorish and Exotic Revival features. Its facade used three principal bays, arched openings, ornamental tile, columns, onion-shaped capitals, and pointed spires. The auditorium included a substantial stage, an orchestra pit, and seating for about 2,100 people. Lincoln Theater opened on October 6, 1927. Its premiere included the Chocolate Scandals and Curtis Mosby's Dixieland Blue Blowers. Although intended primarily for African American patrons, the theater also attracted white audiences. Its significance lay partly in presenting Black performers to Black audiences in a setting that was not organized around the stereotypes and restrictions found in many white-controlled venues. The Lafayette Players became the theater's resident dramatic company after relocating to Los Angeles in 1928. The troupe had roots in Harlem and was associated with alternatives to demeaning minstrel-show conventions. Its performers included Clarence Muse, Charles Sidney Gilpin, and Abbie Mitchell. The company helped make the Lincoln a venue for legitimate drama as well as popular entertainment. From the 1930s through the 1950s, the theater presented a wide range of programming: stage plays, vaudeville, motion pictures, talent competitions, and concerts. Its music history was particularly important. Artists associated with the venue included Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, the Nat King Cole Trio, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Louis Jordan, Pigmeat Markham, Fats Domino, B.B. King, and Sammy Davis Jr. Because many performers also appeared at Harlem's Apollo Theater, the Lincoln acquired the informal designation “West Coast Apollo.” The building and its surroundings also served as a meeting point for artists, activists, and cultural figures. A notable episode associated with the theater occurred when songwriter eden ahbez gave the song “Nature Boy” to Nat King Cole's road manager outside the venue in the late 1940s. The theater's original commercial and entertainment era ended in 1962, when it was sold to the Southern California First Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Samuel M. Crouch operated it as the Crouch Temple. After Crouch's death in 1976, the jurisdiction's headquarters moved to Crenshaw, while the building continued through later religious use, including operation associated with Iglesia de Cristo Ministries Juda. It remains a place of worship. The Lincoln is one of the few surviving major theaters connected with the Central Avenue entertainment district. The Tivoli, Angelus, and Hub theaters were demolished, while the Globe Theater was substantially altered. In 2009, the Lincoln was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the African Americans in Los Angeles multiple-property documentation. Its designation emphasizes its historical connection to African American entertainment and community life rather than treating it solely as an architectural object.
- 2009
National Register listing
[1]The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places through the African Americans in Los Angeles multiple-property submission.
- 1962
Conversion to church use
[1]The building was sold to the Southern California First Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ and became the Crouch Temple.
- 1928
Lafayette Players become resident company
[1]The Lafayette Players relocated to Los Angeles and became associated with the theater's dramatic programming.
- 1927
Lincoln Theater opens
[1]The theater opened on October 6 with a premiere program featuring the Chocolate Scandals and Curtis Mosby's Dixieland Blue Blowers.
- 1926
Construction begins
[1]Construction began on a large movie-palace-style theater on South Central Avenue in Los Angeles.
Products and positioning
Historically, Lincoln Theater positioned itself as a major entertainment and cultural venue for Los Angeles's African American community, providing access to live performance, film, and music in an era of racial exclusion and segregated seating. It was later repositioned as a religious facility.
Performing arts · 1927
Live theater
The venue hosted dramatic productions and stage shows, including performances by the Lafayette Players. Its programming provided a major platform for African American actors and theatrical companies in Los Angeles during the theater's commercial era.
Music venue · 1927
Concerts and musical performances
Lincoln Theater presented leading jazz, blues, popular-music, and variety performers. Its historical associations include Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, the Nat King Cole Trio, Fats Domino, and B.B. King, contributing to its reputation as the West Coast Apollo.
Cinema and variety entertainment · 1927
Motion pictures and vaudeville
The original movie-palace format supported both film screenings and live variety entertainment. Vaudeville acts, talent shows, and special stage presentations operated alongside motion-picture programming.
Religious venue · 1962
Religious services
Since its 1962 sale, the building has been adapted for worship. It was first operated as the Crouch Temple and later used by Iglesia de Cristo Ministries Juda and related religious organizations.
Brand decisions
1962
Conversion from entertainment venue to churchStrategyBackground
After more than three decades as a theater, cinema, music, and variety venue, the building changed ownership during a period when its original commercial entertainment role had ended.
Action taken
The Southern California First Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ acquired the property and adapted it for religious services under the name Crouch Temple.
Aftermath
The building continued to serve religious institutions and remained in use as a church rather than returning to regular commercial theater operation.
Recent events
- 2009
Lincoln Theater added to the National Register of Historic Places[1]
Other
The theater was recognized as part of the African Americans in Los Angeles multiple-property historic-resource submission.
- 1962
Lincoln Theater becomes a church[1]
Other
The building was sold to the Southern California First Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ and adapted for religious services.
- 1927
Lincoln Theater opens in South Los Angeles[1]
Product launch
The new theater opened in October with an invitation-only program featuring the Chocolate Scandals and Curtis Mosby's Dixieland Blue Blowers.
Sources1 sources
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