WASHINGTON -- A renovation of the theater where Abraham Lincoln was shot will be delayed by several months because the bidding process for the job was not successful.

The National Park Service had closed Ford's Theatre, a popular destination for tourists, in early June for what was expected to be an 18-month renovation. But the National Park Service reopened the theater after bids placed to do the job did not meet the criteria for it, The Washington Post reported.

The 144-year-old theater is slated for an $8.5 million upgrade, including its first elevator, new restrooms and renovations to the heating, air conditioning, lighting and sound systems. The last restoration of Ford's Theatre was in the 1960s.

The theater also has a Lincoln Museum in its basement. About 1 million people come through the historic site every year.

Ford's Theatre was the site where actor John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Lincoln died the next morning in the Peterson House, across the street. The house also remains open to visitors.

Details at http://www.fordstheatre.org or http://www.nps.gov/archive/foth/index2.htm