Pursuant to 36 CFR § 1.5, the National Park Service is imposing a temporary closure for certain designated portions of the National Mall and Memorial Parks at the Ford’s Theatre National Historical Site for the necessary purpose of conducting facility upgrades related to fire and life safety. The National Park Service, in coordination with the Ford’s Theater Society, will close the Theater and the Museum to public access on June 3, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m.The Theater will remain closed until July 31, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The museum will remain closed until August 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The above closures are necessary to provide for long-term visitor safety and resource protection. An NPS contractor is installing a new, code-compliant, and technically advanced fire protection system at Ford’s Theatre. The nature of this work, which includes removing and installing water-filled sprinkler lines and related electrical components from above and below, requires full access to these areas and could endanger visitors if the impacted area remains accessible. The temporary closure of the theater space and museum will allow for the completion of the project in a safe and timely manner and enable improved protection of public safety and park resources. Less restrictive measures will not suffice because the nature of the work cannot accommodate visitors’ presence while the work is ongoing. Closure times were established with the least amount of impact on visitors and programming. Closure signs will be posted. This temporary closure is not of a nature, magnitude or duration that will result in a significant alteration in the public use pattern. Other nearby park areas will remain open to the public, and the duration will be as limited as possible to enable the work to be completed. In the event that work is completed ahead of schedule or can accommodate visitor access while the balance is completed, closures for each site will be lifted as soon as safely possible and the public will be notified. The closure will not adversely affect the park’s natural aesthetic or cultural values, nor require significant modification to the resource management objectives, nor is it of a highly controversial nature; to the contrary, this brief closure is necessary to preserve park values, further management objective, and provide for the public’s safety, all of which are uncontroversial. Accordingly, the National Park Service determines that publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 C.F.R. § l.5(b). This is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures or public use limitations and judicial adjudications. Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 29, 2002), plaintiff’s emergency motion for injunction pending appeal denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02- 5275 (D.C. Cir. Sept. 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. Aug. 6, 1999); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C. Sept. 9, 1994); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. Jan. 26, 1988); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F. Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), aff'd in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 U.S. App. Lexis 15200 (D.C. Cir. May 31, 1995). Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure and public use limit will be made through website advisories, maps, and by posting at conspicuous locations in the affected park areas. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request. Kevin L. Griess Superintendent Signed for by Michael Commisso Acting Deputy Superintendent /s/ 6/1/2026 
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Last updated: June 2, 2026