April 20, 2020
10. “AT 90 YEARS YOUNG, THE UNITED PALACE IN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS SHINES LIKE SHE DID IN 1930”
When the Loew’s 175th Street was closing in 1969, the United Palace of Spiritual Arts (UPSA) purchased the building that same year and renamed it United Palace. UPSA immediately began holding Sunday services and commissioned extensive restoration efforts to bring the space back to the original grandeur envisioned by its architect, Thomas Lamb.
Today, the theatre still looks very much as it did when it first opened in 1930, complete with the original orchestra pit that still descends into the basement. The interior design of the United Palace is a “mash up of all types of exotic, Far Eastern symbols and iconography,” according to Mike Fitelson, Executive Producer of the United Palace. In fact, the Far East was “all the rage back in the 1920’s,” and the theatre was purposefully designed to transport visitors from New York City streets to a “fantasyland.” This was especially important because the United Palace was the only Loew’s Theatre to open after The Great Depression, creating a need for “escapist” entertainment.
Decorative specialist, Harold Rambusch — who also did the Waldorf Astoria and Radio City Music Hall — was the mastermind behind the theatre’s elaborate interior. “There’s just a huge variety of architectural motifs,” says Fitelson. “If you have the opportunity to enter the stunning space, keep an eye out for eclectic features, including lions, dragons, Buddhas and cherubs. To give you a hint of where to start, seahorses can be spotted dangling from a chandelier in the grand foyer,” says Fitelson.
9. YOU CAN RIDE THE ORIGINAL ELEVATOR.
There are only two levels of the United Palace, so most people take the grand staircase up to the balcony level, however, if you need an elevator you can ride inside the original lift from 1930. Located next to the front doors of the lobby, the elevator requires an operator and is available for use upon request. The ornate decorative theme of the theatre is carried through the interior decor of the elevator cart. The walls are painted a bright red with gold trim, and scrolling metal work rings the top of the cart. The dark blue ceiling is dotted with gold stars.
The first passenger elevator to be installed in New York City appeared in 1857 at the Haughwout & Company Building at 490 Broadway. By 1930, when this elevator was built, elevators were still a fairly new feature for most New Yorkers. In an advertisement for the theatre’s opening day, the elevator is mentioned: “Come enjoy the world’s most modern theatre. Perfect acoustics to topmost balcony seat – and elevator to take you there!”
8. THE UNITED PALACE IS HOME TO ONE OF THE CITY’S ONLY REMAINING WONDER MORTON ORGANS.
An estimated 12,000 theatre organs used to provide soundtracks for silent films, were once widely used across the United States in the 1930s. The second largest theatre organ company at the time, Robert-Morton, built five identical “Wonder” organs for each of the Loew’s five flagship “Wonder Theatres.” Of this collection, the one inside the United Palace is the last one in its original home.
To restore the organ’s 1,799 pipes, the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS) and UPSA have partnered to bring the instrument back to its original state. The ultimate goal is to make it playable again after years of water damage, so that the Wonder Organ will serve as the “only remaining, consistently used theatre organ” in the city.
7. THE ORIGINAL STAGE ELECTRIC BOARD IS STILL IN USE.
Just like its architectural features which have been preserved for ninety years, many technical features of the United Palace survive from the 1930s. One such remnant is the electrical switchboard for stage lighting found backstage. The wall is covered in levers, knobs and buttons that still control some of the main architectural lighting in the theatre to this day.
During the theatre’s grand opening in 1930, newspapers reported that “all stage lighting and changes of sets are operated automatically from a single keyboard in the wings. By means of this keyboard the lighting and sets for ten scenes can be arranged in advance.” Atop the switchboard there are illuminated plaques for the architect, Thomas Lamb and the electrical contractor B. Haskell. While this piece of equipment is nine decades old, the venue is equipped with modern technology to handle any type of performance and this lighting console is just one factor of the operation.
6. THERE WAS A MEN’S SMOKING LOUNGE AND LADY’S RETIRING ROOM AT THE UNITED PALACE.
Both were on the mezzanine, acting as adjunct lounge areas to the restrooms. For a while, the men’s smoking lounge also served as the spiritual center’s library, but today, it’s a VIP area and executive meeting space. The former men’s smoking lounge features a balcony overlooking the grand foyer and a floor with decorative tile work, made by the Mueller-Mosaic Company of Trenton, New Jersey. The smaller lady’s retiring room now functions, in part, as a storage room within the women’s restroom.
The men’s smoking room is a favorite space in the theatre for television and film shoots, seen most clearly in Woody Allen’s Café Society. The theatre itself has appeared on screen many times including in films such as John Wick 3, Annie (2014), NBC’s Smash, and FX’s Fosse/Verdon. It has also been used for dozens of commercials and photo shoots for Billboard (with Cyndi Lauper), and Broadway’s Kiss Me, Kate, King Kong, and Hello, Dolly!
5. THERE WAS A PARADE TO CELEBRATE OPENING DAY.
The Loew’s 175th Street Theatre opened on February 22, 1930, which also happened to be 198th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday. The occasion was marked by a parade of 1,000 Boy Scouts from troops across Manhattan. They marched up Broadway from 170th to 175th Street where a flag was hoisted above the new theatre. The parade represented the march of Washington’s army to defend New York from Hessian soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
The opening day program also included an appearance by famous vaudeville comedy duo Shaw & Lee and a performance by the Loew’s Grand Orchestra, conducted by Don Albert. The first movie to be shown at the brand-new theatre was Their Own Desire starring Oscar-winner Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery. On the 90th anniversary of this inaugural event, the United Palace hosted a sold-out concert starring Ms. Lauryn Hill on February 22, 2020.
4. THE UNITED PALACE TOOK ONLY 13 MONTHS TO BUILD.
When asked about what was one of the most impressive facts about the United Palace, Mike Fitelson tells us that it’s astonishing how quickly the building was built, given how intricate the architecture and interior is. At the time, “they were building dozens and dozens of theatres every year,” Fitelson notes. “They had a pretty strong process going, and it was the fifth one of the Wonder Theatres, so there’s was a groove going.”
This is particularly impressive when considering the fact that the stock market crash took place right before the building’s debut. “It would be similar to somebody who was constructing a new building downtown, at the World Trade Center, on September 10th, 2001,” says Fitelson.
3. IT WAS AMONG THE FIRST BUILDINGS IN NYC TO HAVE AIR CONDITIONING.
The Loews 175th Street Theatre didn’t just look luxurious, it also offered many luxurious amenities to movie goers. In addition to a fancy elevator to take you to your seat, once there, guests could enjoy the cool air that was pumped into the theatre through one of the city’s first air conditioning systems. Cool air came into the theatre through the ceiling and was recycled through vents that you can still see on the ground floor today.
Air conditioning came to New York City in the early 1900s. According to Gothamist, the New York Stock Exchange was the first building to implement the cooling system purely for comfort. The United Palace, along with the other Wonder Theatres and movie houses of its time, was built with air conditioning and served as some of the first public spaces to offer this refreshing feature. In the summer months, patrons often purchased tickets to films just so they could cool-off. During a heat wave, the cinema was the place to be.
2. THE RETURN OF CINEMA TO A MOVIE PALACE.
In 1969, the Loews 175th Street Theatre screened what would become its last first-run film, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Facing financial troubles in the 1960s, like most single screen theatres at the time, the Loew’s 175th Street Theatre was forced to close and its future was uncertain. Luckily, the building was promptly saved by the United Palace of the Spiritual Arts, a spiritual center dedicated to fusing spirituality, arts, culture and entertainment.
In 2013, local friend and benefactor Lin-Manuel Miranda launched successful campaigns to raise money for a new 52-foot screen and digital cinema projection system. The monthly movie series that followed pairs classic titles with live pre-show entertainment, in an effort to “reinvent going to the movies” as audiences experienced in the golden age of cinema. In April 2019, 2001: A Space Odyssey returned to 175th Street to mark the 50th anniversary of the United Palace of Spiritual Arts, complete with a guest appearance by the star of the film, Keir Dullea. The series is currently titled “Movies at the Palace: Our Favorites From Warner Bros.” and will continue once we reopen our doors to the public.
Other than the Movies at the Palace series, the United Palace has hosted a number of other film events including the annual Dominican and PS 187 Film Festivals, and launch screening events for Mary Poppins Returns, Fate of the Furious, Angelfish, and High Strung: Free Dance.
1. THE HOME OF SPIRITUAL ARTISTRY.
Among the many live events that are hosted within the gilded halls of the United Palace resides the world’s first online Sanctuary of Spiritual Artistry. This virtual sanctuary provides constant access to a free space for meditation, prayer, and contemplation, whenever and wherever you may find yourself. Other program offerings include an interfaith series titled Open Heart Conversations, weekly ten-minute interspiritual services, and exciting upcoming programs which include a study of the Motherpeace tarot deck in Tarot Talk, astrology for the savvy in PlanetPlays, and a study of timeless deities in Goddesses! with Jean Houston. Find us on YouTube and social media @UPSpiritualArts, or visit UPSpiritualArts.org for all of these spiritual artistry offerings and more!
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