The new Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership will open in February 2012. The center will feature permanent and rotating exhibits, education studios and a distance-learning lab.

Housed in a building directly across the street from Ford’s Theatre and acquired by the Ford’s Theatre Society in 2007, the center features two floors of permanent exhibits addressing the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s death and the evolution of Lincoln’s legacy; a Leadership Gallery floor to be used for rotating exhibits, lecture and reception space; and two floors of education studios to house pre- and post-visit workshops, after-school programs and teacher professional development; and a distance-learning lab outfitted with state-of-the-art technology that will allow Ford’s to engage students and teachers nationwide and around the world. The building also houses the Ford’s Theatre Society administrative offices on its upper levels.

“For more than 40 years, visitors have traveled to Ford’s Theatre from all over the world, eager to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and his presidency,” said Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault. “Now, with the addition of the Center for Education and Leadership, learners of all ages can delve deeper into our compelling American history through new exhibits, engaging videos and creative programming offered by the Ford’s Theatre Society Education Department. We are thrilled to usher in this new chapter in the history of Ford’s Theatre and to showcase how Lincoln’s leadership and legacy resonates in our world today.”