The building opened in 1948 and is of the Streamline Moderne style of architecture.

It was built by John Jacob Zink and held upwards of 500 people seated.

The Carver Theater closed in the 1960s only to reopen in 1967 as the first home of the Anacostia Community Museum.

[2] Currently, the theater is undergoing renovations to serve as a training center for the Good Samaritan Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Art Monk.

In 2004, the city sold the building to the foundation for $255,235 in the hope they would "restore and reoccupy Carver Theater.