United Palace of Cultural Arts
4140 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10033
4140 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10033
38 people
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Showing 251 - 268 of 268 comments
Here are pictures of the 175 St.
http://www.agilitynut.com/p/ike1204.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/p/ike21204.jpg
They should restore the vertical
Thanks for that information. I passed by the Pantages Theater about two weeks ago, and it really looked great. I didn’t realize that the old marquee had been covered, and then uncovered. Disney has done a lot for a few old theaters. In Manhattan, of course the most famous example is the old glorious New Amsterdam theater, which now houses the Lion King (but I think had Aida for a while, but could be mistaken). The meticulously restored it to it’s former glory.
Of course, also in Hollywood, Disney restored the El Capitan Theater. It looks beautiful all lit up outside at night. That marquee, while it does have an look old look, is sort of interesting. They installed one of those modern digital signs on the three sides, and had sort of poster pictures of the film that is playing. When I was there, they were showing a rerelease of “Pirates of the Caribean”, and that was in the digital display on the marquee. Very attractive.
The same thing happened when Disney was restoring the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The marquee and the area underneth the marquee to the front doors had been covered over by fake walls and lower ceilings. The detail under the marquee was all covered over and the neon areas were made more streamlined. So when Disney restored the Pantages for the opening of “Lion King”. They found that a lot of the original facade was just covered over.
What is interesting about the restoration of the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill’s marquee was that they didn’t realize it was all still back there when they were going to “recreate” it. When they ripped the covering from the marquee (that must have been installed in the 1950’s over the original), there was the old marquee in it’s former diamond in the rough glory. They then restored the old original marquee instead of recreating it. Thankfully, it now remains as such today.
The lobby and auditorium can be viewed in later scenes in the 2002 comedy movie “The Guru”.
Also earlier in that movie can be seen exteriors of the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill Theatre, to which the filmakers did a restoration of the marquee.
Warren…thank you..that’s the one!
So…what about the one on or around 137th and Broadway that has a McDonalds in it now? It has the words Gotham Theater written there and it’s clearly recognizable as a theater. Do you if this is listed?
Thanks again…
There’s a theater located just off Broadway at 160th Street. It looks as though the auditorium runs parallel to Broadway. Does anyone know if this theater is listed? Right now it’s a supermarket (must be a big one…) called Superextra or something like that.
If this theater was in a more “desirable” part of NYC, it would get more press. I never knew it was there until I stumbled upon it. Now, on those rare occasions when I drive into work in Manhattan, I make it a point to drive past this theater. I always hope that I’ll get into some kind of minor traffic jam so I can get a better look.
This neighborhood is thriving…it’s no ghost town. Like Flatbush, this neighborhood (Washington Heights) was profiled in NY Magazine as being one of NY’s best kept residential secrets. Therefore, it’s secret is out. Again, if and when this area changes, what will be the consequences of this theater? I think too many people know about it now and there would be a large uproar from the architectural community if anyone tried anything “funny” with this place.
The inside is too. Check out the links on this page. They meticulously restored the interior too. And unlike the valencia in Jamaica, they chose colors that are true to the originals. The Valencia’s new paint scheme is gaudy at best….however, it is maintained at least, so that is good.
I nearly crashed my car when I once got off I-95 after coming off the GW Bridge to get out of a traffic jam and found this grand relic. My GOD this thing is AMAZING!!!!! Is it landmarked by NYC? Quite possibly the most beautiful theater remaining in NYC, handsdown. And from outside, it looks largely intact.
I think it’s great that he allowed the theater to keep it’s projection capabilities, unlike the Valencia in Jamaica.
The current seating capacity is 3361. Most known now for Latin Concerts. Called the United Palace. Rev. Ike rents it for Movies, Concerts, Filming Productions, and Theater Musicals/Plays.
The current edition of the New York Press, the “Best of Manhattan 2004” issue, lists the 175th Street as “Best Movie Palace.” The description of the theatre can be found about halfway down the following webpage:
View link
Personally, I think this NY Press designation, as well as the recent community outrage at the (fortunately short-term) closing of the Metro Twin, is evidence that the the dedication of the members of, and visitors to, CinemaTreasures and similar sites is having a positive cultural impact. Appreciation for these “treasures” is becoming more mainstream.
Another note on the 175th Street, from a daily commuter’s perspective: the dome of the theatre, with cross, is visible while traveling inbound on the George Washington Bridge. Check it out the next time you’re crossing the Hudson.
75 years ago, the Wonder Theaters were built and became prime showcases for all the great MGM product over the next 3 decades. The only Wonder Theater showing film today is Loew’s Jersey but, sadly, they are not playing any MGM product in their 75th anniversary programming.
However, the beautifully restored Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York salutes the Loew’s Wonder Theaters by presenting a newly restored 35mm print of one of MGM’s greatest musicals, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” It will be shown this Saturday, September 25 as part of their weekly Big Screen Classics series. They will also present a vintage MGM short, and will play live music on their magnificent Wurlitzer organ.
For more information, visit their website at www.bigscreenclassics.com
Wow, I never knew about this theater, until it was mentioned in the Valencia’s (jamaica) section of the site, which has also been converted to a church. This is a spectacular theater! Traditionally, the transformation of theater to church had been kind to a lot of theaters, like the Valencia, the Loew’s Gates, etc. Theaters lend themselves very well to churches, and if they can’t be a theater anymore, churches are the next best thing, as they dod the least “harm” to a theater in conversion.
Here’s a history of the theater:
http://www.revike.org/cchurch/history.asp
They also rent it out to movie companies for location work. You can see some of the auditorium in the movie “Marci-X”.
Recently visited it armed with a camcorder. It is still in great shape
Theater chain was Loew’s & it was one of the 5 Loew’s “Wonder Theaters”