Loew's 175th Street Theatre | |
  | |
 | |
| Address | 4140 Broadway between West 175th and West 176th Streets Washington Heights, Manhattan New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°50′47″N 73°56′17″W / 40.846412°N 73.938193°W |
| Owner | United Palace of Spiritual Arts[1] |
| Capacity | 3,350 |
| Current use | church, concert hall/performing arts center, cinema (classic movies) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
| Website | |
| www.unitedpalace.org | |
The United Palace (originally Loew's 175th Street Theatre) is a theater at 4140 Broadway in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The theater, occupying a full city block bounded by Broadway, Wadsworth Avenue, and West 175th and 176th Streets, functions both as a spiritual center and as a nonprofit cultural and performing arts center. Architect Thomas W. Lamb designed the theater as a movie palace, which opened in 1930 as one of five Loew's Wonder Theatres in the New York City area. The theater's lavishly eclectic interior decor was supervised by Harold Rambusch, who also designed the interior of the Roxy Theatre and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.[2]
The theater was the first in Washington Heights built specifically to show films,[3] although it also presented live vaudeville.[4][5][6][7] The theater operated continuously until it was closed by Loew's in 1969. That same year it was purchased by the United Christian Evangelistic Association, headed by the television evangelist Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, better known as Reverend Ike. The theater became the headquarters of his United Church Science of Living Institute and was renamed the United Palace.[8]
The building was designated a New York City landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2016. As of 2018, the church is called the United Palace of Spiritual Arts, and offers performing arts events through the United Palace of Cultural Arts.[9] The facility is available for rental to outside event producers and promoters.
- ^ "4140 Broadway, Manhattan" New York City Geographic Information Services map. Accessed: June 1, 2014
- ^ Staff (ndg) "United Palace: Reawaken Wonder" (tour brochure) United Palace. Accessed: August 18, 2018.
- ^ Caratzas, Michael (December 13, 2016) "United Palace Designation Report", New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
- ^ Adams, Nathaniel (January 15, 2015). "Across the New York Area, Restoring 'Wonder Theater' Movie Palaces to Glory". The New York Times.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (April 13, 2001), "Xanadus Rise to a Higher Calling", The New York Times
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ritewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12543-7., p. 286
- ^ "United Church: 'The Palace Cathedral'" in New York City Organ Project New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
- ^ United Palace of Cultural Arts website
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search