Audio Description Tour

Visitors can access the audio description tour of Ford's Theatre National Historic Site in one of two ways.

1. Download a folder of audio files (10.7 MB Zip). Open the files in your preferred mp3 player to listen to each section of the audio description tour.
2. Access the text version that follows. This version is compatable with most screen reader software.

Overview: About this Audio Description Tour

Welcome to the Audio Description for a tour of Ford's Theatre National Historic Site. This tour will begin by describing the exterior of Ford’s Theatre, then continue to the entrance lobby, historic theater lobby, and historic theater. Next, the tour describes the exterior of the Petersen House, the interior of the House, and the exit through the Center for Education and Leadership.
Each stop on the tour begins with a short synopsis, followed by an in-depth description with more detail. Once you have all the information you need, you can move ahead to the next section.

Theatre Exterior

Synopsis

Ford's Theatre is a brick building three stories tall with a triangular roof rising above the third story. The walls are made of weathered brick, which is painted white on the first level and red on the upper levels.
To the left is a modern building with large glass windows and an awning that says, "Ford's Theatre." A set of doors on the left side of the modern building lead into the Entrance Lobby of Ford's Theatre.

In-Depth Description

The historic Ford's Theatre building sits at the center of the city block, surrounded by taller modern buildings. The front of the building is around 70 feet wide. The brick on the first level is painted white, while the upper levels are bare red brick.
There are five arched doorways in the lowest level, each with a set of white double doors. A white sign hangs from a metal arm between two of the center doors. The sign says in large letters, "Ford's Theatre. US National Park Service. Department of the Interior." Another white sign is attached to the wall beside the furthest right door. It shows a black image of a hand pointing to the door with the words, "Family Circle, 25 cents."
The two upper levels each have five tall windows that line up with the doors below. The windows frames are white and stand out against the surrounding brick. In between each set of windows is a column of brick that juts out slightly from the building, forming a series of vertical lines. The top of the third level is capped by a wooden overhang that is painted white. The slopes of the roof are also edged in white wood, forming a triangle shape. A square chimney sits at the very top of the roof.
The sidewalk in front of the theatre is made of red bricks. Some of the bricks have names etched into them in black letters. A large iron lamppost stands in front of the center doors, topped by a glass and iron lamp measuring about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide.
Just to the right (or to the south) of the theater is a smaller brick building connected to the theatre. It is three stories tall, with a flat roof. The front is about 25 feet wide . The street level is painted white. It has a single door on the left side and two windows on the right. A sign above the door says, "Star" in large black letters. The two upper levels are brown brick. Each level has three vertical windows outlined in white trim.
Just to the left (or to the north) of the theatre is a narrow brick building connected to the theatre. It is 3 stories tall with a flat roof. It is painted white on the first level and red on the upper levels to match the theatre. The first level has a single set of white wood and glass doors. Above the doors is the building address number, 517. The two upper floors each have a single window centered above the doors.
Further to the left (or to the north) of the theatre is a large modern building. It has large glass windows on the first level, and the upper levels are a mix of glass windows and new tan brick. A large awning spans the front of the building. The awning is topped with foot high aluminum letters spelling out "Ford's Theatre." A smaller vertical sign sticks out from the right side of the building. It says "Ford's Theatre" spelled out vertically from top to bottom. In between the large glass windows, there are posters displaying advertisements for plays and other programs. At the far left of this building is a set of glass and metal doors. White letters on the door say, "Ford's Theatre Entrance. Box office. Lobby. Gift Shop."

Main Entrance Lobby

The entrance to the main theatre lobby is a pair of metal and glass doors with a push-button door opener on the left. The entranceway turns right and opens into the main lobby, a large mostly square room. This description will describe the room counterclockwise.

On the right hand alongside the windows is a sloping ramp that leads into the historic theatre. A sign beside the ramp says "Museum and Theatre Entrance. No food or drinks allowed except water in a plastic bottle."

Past the ramp is a box office on the far wall. It has a row of three windows where visitors can pick up tickets. A sign above the two left windows says, "Daytime Visit Tickets and Will Call." A sign above the right window says, "Acoustiguide pick up and drop off." Gold letters on the wall above say, “Box Office.”

To the left of the box office is an elevator that provides access to the museum in the basement and the balcony of the theatre. A button to the right of the door calls the elevator. Gold letters above the elevator say, “Balcony and Museum.”

To the left of the elevator is a hallway leading to restrooms and the parking garage elevator. The men's restroom is the first door on the right. The women's restroom is the second door on the left. The parking garage elevator is in an alcove on the right side of the hallway. Gray benches line the hallway on the left. The walls are decorated with posters for upcoming plays.

To the left of the hallway is the gift shop counter. Further left is the gift shop itself, with shelves of products for sale.

To the left of the gift shop are the entrance doors, completing the circle.

In the center of the room is a large stone wall engraved with the names of Ford’s Theatre Society donors. Carved words at the top say, “With malice towards none, with charity for all.”

Historic Lobby

SYNOPSIS.

Enter the historic lobby from the ramp in the main entrance lobby. There are handrails on either side. Walk down the ramp until the floor becomes level. On the left-hand side is a security desk. On the right-hand side is a pair of automatic doors leading back to the street. The doors have a push-button door opener on the left side of the doorway.

At this point the floor changes from gray tile to red carpet. This is the entrance to the historic lobby. It is a long, narrow room with red carpet, white walls, and large yellow doors.

On the right side of the room are four sets of double doors leading out of the theatre. The doors are yellow and have push bars at waist height to let you exit.

On the left side of the room is a staircase to the museum. There is also a tactile display of Lincoln's face, a spiral staircase to the balcony level of the theatre, and three sets of doors leading into the theater’s orchestra level.

At the end of the room is a wall with a door on the right and an unused ticket window on the left. The door is where visitors will enter from the museum.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.

The staircase to the museum is immediately to the left of the entrance. A white door should be propped open to provide access.

Just past the museum staircase on the left is a display with a touchable life mask of Abraham Lincoln’s face. Bronze castings of Lincoln's hands are directly below the life mask.

Past the life mask is a curving spiral staircase that leads to the balcony. The steps are uneven and curve to the left going up. The steps have red carpet and are bounded by carved wooden handrails.

The doors into the theatre are just past the spiral staircase. The heavy wooden doors are yellow and should be propped open for access. Right above the center door is an old-fashioned brass wall clock. The hands are frozen at 7:22.

The walls are painted white with yellow baseboards and trim. Gold lamps with crystal lampshades decorate the walls between each set of doors. Two glass and wooden display cases sit between the exit doors listing cast and crew for the current play.

Museum

Audio description for the Ford's Theatre Museum is under development, but not yet available at this time.

Theatre Interior

SYNOPSIS.

The interior of Ford’s Theatre contains the theatre stage, the President’s Box, the orchestra level seating, and the balcony level seating.

The theatre walls are painted white and decorated with classical columns and plaster carvings. Red carpet covers the floor, and a high domed ceiling rises above. Modern spotlights hang above the stage and in the topmost balcony. The orchestra and balcony levels are full of cushioned folding seats, all pointed toward the stage.

The stage sits in the center of the theatre where it is visible from every angle. A black curtain borders the back of the stage. If a play is in season, there may be set scenery built onstage.

Two sets of private boxes sit above the stage on either side. The right box is draped in American flags and decorated with a picture of George Washington. Inside the box are three chairs and a sofa.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.

The inner walls of Ford’s Theatre are painted white with yellow baseboards throughout. Red carpet covers the floor, and each step down is highlighted with gold trim. White Grecian columns topped with carvings of leaves support the balconies above. The ceiling is white with gold fleur de lis designs. The ceiling is flat but painted to create the illusion of a high dome.

The room is widest at the entry doors and becomes narrower closer to the stage, forming a fan shaped auditorium. The folding seats are wooden, with red cushions and a wrought iron decorative panel at the end of each row.

The stage sits at the center of the theater on the orchestra level. The stage is painted black and rises about four feet above the floor. The front of the stage curves outward in the center. Behind the stage is a tall black curtain. If a play is currently in season, the back of the stage will be filled with scenery and set pieces. A large rack with dozens of modern spotlights hangs high above the stage.

Directly in front of the stage is an orchestra pit. The orchestra pit is lined with red carpeting and sits below floor level. The outer-facing wall of the orchestra pit is made of stained wood paneling. Two sets of red-carpeted stairs sit at the right and left end of the stage, leading from the floor level to the stage. Black metal handrails adorn each set of stairs. Nearby are brown signs with white letters that say, “Keep off steps and stage.”

Two sets of private boxes sit above the stage on the right and left side. They are roughly even with the first balcony level and angle slightly toward the audience. The two boxes on the left have a white railing below the windows and carved Grecian columns on either side. The arched windows are around twenty feet tall with white and gold curtains draped at the top. The insides of the boxes are covered in red patterned wallpaper. Two wooden, straight-back chairs sit in each box. A gold-rimmed divider separates the two boxes.

The two boxes on the right are identical to the boxes on the left, but the internal divider has been removed and placed against the back wall, creating one larger box. There are also five flags draped on the railing and sides of the box. Three of the flags are United States flags. The other two flags are blue with a gold fringe, decorated with large white stars and a soaring eagle. In the center of the railing sits a portrait of George Washington. Inside the box, there are four pieces of furniture. On the far right is a red-cushioned rocking chair. Next on the left is a black, wooden chair with a straight back. Next on the left is a red-cushioned couch, pushed back and to the left against the wall. Finally, a red-cushioned chair sits at the far left of the box.

The orchestra level has around 350 seats arranged in an arc stretching out from the stage. There are three groups of seats (left, center, and right) with aisles in between. The orchestra level also has a yellow door on each side of the stage with a glowing green “Exit” sign above. At the back of the theater is a sound control board draped in black cloth and blocked off with ropes.

The first balcony level is shaped like the letter “U” with the stage between the two ends of the “U” shape. More Grecian columns support a second balcony above. There are elaborate carvings of leaves and young children on the outer edge of the balcony. The inner edge of the balcony is lined with red carpet and topped with a gold railing. A row of golden lamps with crystal lamp shades sits overhead on the edge of the second balcony. There are two yellow doors on either side of the balcony at the ends of its “U” shape. At the back of the balcony are four tall windows with heavy blackout curtains. A spiral staircase at the back left of the balcony leads down to the historic lobby. The 250 balcony seats are arranged in 5 groups around the “U” shape of the balcony with aisles in between. The front seats at the edge are lowest, and the rows become higher as you move toward the back.

Above the first balcony is a second balcony, right below the ceiling. A white booth with a large window sits in the center. On either side are large frames with dozens of stage lights, all pointed towards the stage below. In the shadows behind the lights are several rows of wooden benches.

Petersen House Exterior

SYNOPSIS.

The Petersen House is a red brick building with green shutters. It is three stories tall, with a basement partially below street level. A curving sandstone staircase with a wrought iron railing leads up to the front door.

To the left of Petersen House is a tall gray building with large windows. A large photograph of Abraham Lincoln fills two stories of the windows. A sign above the doorway says, “Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership.”

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.

The Petersen House is three stories tall, with a basement partially below street level. It is very narrow, less than thirty feet wide, and connects directly to the buildings on either side. The basement level sits partially below the street. It has two half-windows on the left and a tan basement door on the right beneath the curving stone staircase.

The entry level has two windows on the left and a brown door on the right at the top of the staircase. The sandstone staircase makes a small porch directly in front of the door. The stairs curve down to the left and open into the street. The stone is weathered and chipped, and the iron railing is worn smooth.

Further up, the top two levels have three windows. All the windows have tan trim and dark green shutters. The eaves of the roof are flat straight across, with a small wooden overhang painted tan.

A sign on the railing in front of the door says, “House Where Lincoln Died. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Hours: nine forty-five A.M. to four forty-five P.M. Tickets Required.” The words are arranged in the design of a banner surrounded by mourning wreaths.

A bronze plaque to the left of the staircase reads, “Abraham Lincoln died in this house April fifteenth, 1865 at seven twenty-two A.M. Purchased by the United States in 1896.” The presidential seal of the United States is stamped in bronze beside the letters. It is an eagle with an olive branch in one claw and a bunch of arrows in the other.

To the left (or to the south) of Petersen House is a ten-story gray building with large windows. A large photograph of Abraham Lincoln fills the third and fourth story windows. The entry doors are glass, covered by a glass awning. Large letters on the awning read, “Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership.” The building number 514 is marked above the doors.

Petersen House Interior

SYNOPSIS.

Inside the door of Petersen House, a long, dark hallway stretches down to a small room at the back of the house. There is a narrow staircase on the right of the hall leading upstairs, and there are two doors on the left leading to other rooms. Elaborate wallpaper decorates the walls, and patterned carpet covers the floor. Pieces of antique furniture dot the rooms on the left. In the room at the very end of the hallway sits a small wooden bed. Beside it on a table, a small sign reads, “Abraham Lincoln died in this room at seven twenty two A.M. on April 15th, 1865.”

The route through Petersen House begins in the hallway and continues into the first room on the left, through the second room on the left, back into the hall, and down to the small room at the end. From that small room, the route turns left down a hallway to an elevator.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.

The entrance hallway of the Petersen House is dark, lit only by a solitary crystal lamp in the ceiling. The carpet is black, covered with gold and red flowers. The wallpaper is tan, decorated with elaborate images of birds, flowers, and diamond shapes. The ceilings are nearly ten feet high. A velvet rope directs you into the first room on the left.

The first room is brighter than the hall, with tall windows on the left bringing in sunlight. A single crystal lamp hangs from the ceiling. The wallpaper is yellow with white diamond shapes and red flowers. An antique marble topped table stands against the left wall under the windows. A sign on the table says, “Between visits to her husband’s bedside, Mary Lincoln waited in this parlor with her son Robert and friends of the Lincoln family.” An ornate black marble fireplace dominates the wall opposite the door. An antique walnut China cabinet sits to the right of the fireplace. On the right wall of the room is a wide doorway that leads to the second room.

The second room is partially blocked by a red velvet rope just inside the doorway, which guides you to a door on the right into the hall. The second room has yellow wallpaper covered with white floral designs. On the left wall is an antique walnut wardrobe and another black marble fireplace. The back wall has three windows looking out the rear of the house. A large walnut sleigh bed sits in the back right corner, and a marble-topped side table sits next to it. A sign in the middle of the room reads, “In this bedroom, Secretary of War Stanton held several cabinet meetings, interviewed witnesses, and ordered the pursuit of the assassins.” The right wall is bare except for the door into the hall.

The next section of the hallway has a narrow staircase on the right that takes up much of the space. The stairs are carpeted the same as the floor. The wooden stair railing is hand-carved walnut, smooth to the touch. A small sign on the stairs says, “Area closed.” Further back on the right is a dark wooden door into the space beneath the stairs. A doorway at the end of the hall leads into the third and final room.

Inside the last room, metal railings run from the entrance door to an exit door immediately to the left. The room’s wallpaper has a pattern of tan vertical lines. The carpet is red and covered with yellow floral designs. The ceilings are lower here, perhaps eight feet high.

To the right of the door is a small wooden bed behind a clear plastic barrier. The bed is six feet long and less than four feet wide. The bedposts are made of walnut wood carved with wavy ridges. The bed’s quilt is tan with red and blue geometric patterns. Two white pillows sit at the head.

The rear wall of the room has an empty coat rack attached to the wall, as well as a dark wooden door on the left side. On the left wall, a shaded lamp and small window shed their light into the room. A marble topped dresser sits just under the window. A small sign on the dresser says, “Abraham Lincoln died in this room at seven twenty two A.M. on April 15th, 1865.” The exit door on the left leads into an exit hallway.

The exit hallway is built onto the back of the house, with rugged red brick on the left hand and large wood-framed windows on the right. An emergency exit door on the right leads down a wooden staircase to a gravel yard behind the house. Continue straight down the hall and through the doorway. There is an elevator on the right with a large sign that says, “Continue to 4th floor using elevator.” Another door straight ahead leads into the gift shop of the Center for Education and Leadership.
Aftermath Exhibits
Audio description for the Aftermath exhibits is under development, but not yet available at this time.

Aftermath Exhibit Lobby and Exit

SYNOPSIS.

Outside of the Aftermath exhibits is a spiral staircase reaching down to the ground floor. The staircase wraps around a towering thirty four foot sculpture made from thousands of books about Abraham Lincoln. Large windows on the front of the building shed light into the stairway. The walls are dotted with displays about people inspired by Abraham Lincoln. At the bottom of the staircase, turn to the right to enter a large gift shop area and to exit the building.

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION.

A small plaque sits at the bottom of the staircase in front of the book sculpture. It reads, “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new at all.” – Abraham Lincoln.

A Tower of Books.

In 1922 the New York Times wrote, ‘It is, perhaps, a fact that among modern Americans no one has had more books devoted to the multifarious phases of his career and personality than Abraham Lincoln.’

Eighty years later, this is still true. There are over 15,000 books about Lincoln currently in print—with more being written every day.

The last word about our 16th president will never be written, if only because each generation creates its own Lincoln.”

Conclusion

This concludes the audio description for the tour of Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site. Thank you for listening!