UNITED Theater on Broadway

I am sure that the what looks like marble on the auditorium upper sidewalls is a later alteration. The Crane designs for the Detroit, L.A., and Chicago United Arttists theaters are all very similar, but they are more like siblings, no two are identical. There are noticeable variations, for example, in the plasterwork around the proscenium, in the placement and size of those funnel-like elements around the ceiling, and in design of the organ screens. They are all variations, though, on the same basic Spanish Gothic theme.

I’m not sure if they can be viewed by anyone without a Facebook account, but Bringing Back Broadway just posted dozens of photos of the interior.

View link

I second Don S’s “wow.” Especially when you compare it to recent interior photos of Detroit’s United Artists Theatre.

I have heard that the building and theatre are up for sale!

Thanks for all the great photos and history – both true and anecdotal. As a regular attendee of Sunday services, I can recommend the experience. Pastor Melissa Scott is a gifted teacher and her hour-long “classes” about history, language, and the Bible are interesting, whatever your beliefs – or lack thereof. The UA is maintained meticulously with TLC. When you attend, you’ll understand the need for the church to have its high level of security. The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation posted 9 minutes of video footage shot of the theatre interior during the late ‘80’s. You can find that at www.youtube.com\lahtf With Pastor Scott’s approval, the LAHTF is planning an All About docu-tour and history presentation at the UA in early 2010. Along with Grauman’s Million Dollar, the UA is extraordinary in just about every way.

Here is a 1932 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/n4aqa2

Layers of paint can be removed.

Here is a 2005 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/mqccxp

If you go to http://www.pastormelissascott.com/ you can make reservations for the Sunday service. There is also a schedule for the tv broadcasts during which the cameras will pan the auditorium so you can get an idea of what it looks like. During the time that Gene Scott was pastor much restoration was done and the theater is in excellent condition. By the way, I wouldn’t call them funamentalist weirdos although they do march to their own drummer.

Does anyone have current pictures of the interior? I live nearby (so I know what the outside looks like…Duh) and I’ve tried EVERY excuse in the book—-I’m a USC student doing research, I run an LA history website, I’m a photographer—-but those damn fundamentalists weirdos won’t let me in for a little peek.

If they’ve ruined it like those morons at the State have, I’ll go absolutely nuts!

I think it has been a church since the 80s. Never saw it used for taping, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Maybe the church rented out the space to make some money.

another close up of the old united artists theatre can be seen here
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Here is another 30s photo from USC:
http://tinyurl.com/cp7tzg

With regard to ken mc’s posts of January this year, I do recall the United Artists being called the Alameda for a while around 1961-1962. I think it was after it closed again that the Alameda name was moved to the United Artists in East Los Angeles. I guess UA wanted to get their money’s worth from that expensive signage.