Grant and Lincoln's invitation

[Eva Elisabeth]

I seem to recall that Ford's had seating for 2,400 persons in the beginning in 1862, but after the renovation due to the fire in December 1862, the number of seats was reduced to 1,700 in order to make seating mor comfortable. Just am assumption: I tend to believe that 1,700 was the maximum capacity in 1865, and perhaps the "approximately 1700 people" that allegedly "were in attendance on the night" were just an estimation based upon the total number of seats and the assumption the performance was sold out.