Cramton Auditorium

Located on Howard University's campus, Louis C. Cramton Auditorium is one of Washington D.C's premier event spaces. With seating for more than 1,500, the venue is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and other performance and staging elements. It frequently hosts concerts, lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, speeches, formal ceremonies, fashion shows, and numerous other kinds of events and shows. The venue houses 37,000 square feet of usable space. The building was erected in 1959.

About the Building Name

Louis C. Cramton Auditorium is named for Louis Convers Cramton (LL.D. '45). Cramton was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan from 1913-1931, a circuit court judge, and special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. While in Congress, Cramton and Congressman Daniel Alden Reed introduced a bill to amend Section 8 of Howard University’s Act of Incorporation to include the authorization of the institution's annual Congressional appropriation, which have helped turn it into a national powerhouse of higher education and research. He was an ardent supporter and patron of Howard throughout his life. He was also a champion of preserving public spaces. Howard bestowed an honorary degree on Cramton in 1945.

Howard History

• United States Vice President Kamala Harris (B.A. '86) spoke in Cramton Auditorium in November 2022 to discuss reproductive rights.
• President-Elect William Jefferson Clinton spoke in Cramton Auditorium two days before his inauguration in 1992. 
• Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock performed in Cramton Auditorium in 1970 during a concert that lasted until 5:00 a.m.
• Director Jordan Peele and actors Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke held a private screening of Peele's movie "Us" in Cramton Auditorium on March 20, 2019. 
• Roberta Flack performed in Cramton Auditorium in 1970 as part of a fundraiser.
• Civil rights icons Malcolm X and Bayard Rustin participated in a debate organized by Howard students on October 30, 1961.
• Major city mayors who have spoken in Cramton Auditiorium include Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley (September 27, 1985), New York City Mayor David Dinkins (September 25, 1992) and Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (February 28, 2025).
• Nobel Prize Winner Desmond Tutu spoke in Cramton Auditorium on November 7, 1984, after which he was presented with an honorary doctorate.
• Nina Simone performed for two shows in Cramton Auditorium on April 20, 1970 as part of the inauguration of the university's student leaders.
• Sammy Davis, Jr. peformed for two shows in Cramton Auditorium on April 24, 1967 as part of a scholarship fundraiser.
• Aretha Franklin played Cramton Auditorium on March 10, 1967
• Chaka Khan performed at Cramton Auditorium on October 23, 1996 as part of a Howard Homecoming R and B concert.
• Erykah Badu performed in Cramton Auditorium on October 25, 2013.
• Keyshia Cole, John Legend, and Anthony Hamilton performed in Cramton Auditorium on October 29, 2024.
• The National Symphony Orchestra was among the first performers at Cramton Auditorium.
• Angela Davis spoke in Cramton Auditorium in November 2008.
• Brandy performed in Cramton Auditorium on October 26, 2013.
• Public Enemy performed in Cramton Auditorium during Homecoming in October 1990.
• Jamie Foxx performed in Cramton Auditorium on October 25, 1995.
• Monica performed in Cramton Auditiorium during the Nations Classic Kickoff Rally in September, 2015.
• Veteran NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt spoke in Cramton Auditorium on September 21, 2018 as the keynote speaker for Howard's Opening Convocation.
• Mary J. Blige performed in Cramton on October 30, 1992.
• Method Man and Redman perfomed in Cramton during Homecoming on October 26, 1995.
• The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures presented a replica of Hattie McDaniel's official Academy Award to Howard University in Cramton Auditorium on October 1, 2023. McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar and bequeathed the award to be housed at Howard. The origins of the original award are not known. The award was presented to Phylicia Rashad (B.A. '70), who was dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

Renovation

Cramton Auditorium has been renovated recently with regards to seating, lighting and sound.

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