UNITED Theater on Broadway

The downtown United Artists Theatre was opened on December 26, 1927 with Mary Pickford & Buddy Rodgers in “My Best Girl”. Built by the founders of United Artists Pictures; Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford, who needed the massive Spanish Gothic style movie palace as a venue for world premieres of their movies. The castles and cathedrals that Fairbanks and Pickford saw on their honeymoon in Spain, inspired them to instruct architect C. Howard Crane to design their movie palace in that style. It was replicated the following year in the United Artists Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

The 13-story office building which fronts the United Artists Theatre was designed by the architectural firm Walker & Eisen, in a Spanish-Gothic style. There is a double height ogival window over the theatre entrance and many niches containing statues on the facade, including one of a figure holding an early movie camera. On top of the main tower feature is a large highly decorated clerestory and sky-sign.

The interior of the theatre was designed by noted theatre interior designer Anthony B. Heinsbergen. In the lobby the ceiling is painted to imitate stained glass, while in the main foyer the vaulted ceiling is painted to resemble tapestries and has the look of an old Spanish cathedral. An open balcony runs across the foyer at mezzanine level, whilst on the opposite wall are huge gold edged mirrors. Under the foyer was located a private screening room for Mary Pickford.

Seating for 2,214 was originally arranged in orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony levels. The deep recess in the ceiling is covered with tiny mirrors, which glitter when the cove lighting plays on them. On the two side walls are magnificent murals by Heinsbergen depicting heraldic Medieval scenes with painted characters depicting Fairbanks and Pickford and other Hollywood figures, including the heads of United Artists board members serving in 1927, tacked onto voluptuous bodies of flying gods and goddesses. The organ screens, serving the Wurlitzer 3 manual 17 ranks organ, and the proscenium arch are highly decorated in an elaborate Gothic style.

The theatre was a great success and was operated by United Artists Theatres circuit for the majority of its life as a movie theatre. During the 1950’s, a new wide-screen process was installed, and a giant curved screen was erected in front of the proscenium arch. Although little damage was done here, the mezzanine was totally removed to accommodate a new projection booth, which gave a straight throw onto the new screen.

In its later years, the United Artists Theatre was operated by Metropolitan Theatres and it closed as a full-time cinema in the summer of 1989, screening Spanish language movies. It briefly became a legitimate playhouse, staging Spanish language comedies, dramas, and musical comedies for adults.

In the fall of 1989, it was taken over by Dr. Eugene Scott for church use. Volunteers from his organization toiled for many hours to remove years of smoke stains and grime from the building, which now looks as good as it did on opening night, back in 1927. The former United Artists Theatre became home for Los Angeles University Cathedral. Upon the death of Dr. Eugene Scott in 2005, the church continued to use the building for a few more years. It was put up ‘For Sale’ in 2010, and was sold in the fall of 2011, to a developer, with plans to convert the office space part of the building in a hotel.

In January 2014 the Ace Hotel opened in the former office space fronting the building, and on February 14, 2014 the former United Artists Theatre opened as a concert venue known as the Theatre at the Ace Hotel, when British rock band Spiritualized performed. It was announced on December 12, 2023 that the Ace Hotel would be closing on January 31, 2024. It reopened in early-2024 as the UNITED Theater on Broadway.

Recent comments (view all 183 comments)

Trolleyguy on July 1, 2017 at 10:11 pm

1954 pictures added to photos section.

DavidZornig on January 23, 2019 at 3:34 pm

Mike Hume’s Historic Theatre Photography website with plenty of photos, floor plans, history etc.

https://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Theatre-At-Ace-Hotel-Los-Angeles.aspx

Trolleyguy on October 25, 2019 at 10:28 pm

Added 1950s street view of the theatre.

Backseater on September 8, 2021 at 1:01 pm

Opened 26 December 1927–the same day as the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, AL.

CTCrouch on December 12, 2023 at 8:56 pm

The Ace Hotel announced that they will be ceasing operations on 1/31/24 due to “complications” with the property owner. There have been some unofficial reports that the hotel will then look to reopen under a different operator/business model. Fortunately, the theatre is supposed to continue operating, uninterrupted, with new branding.

m00se1111 on April 16, 2024 at 4:05 am

Venue is now called “ The United Theater on Broadway”

Hosting live performances and films.

Updated website - https://www.theunitedtheater.com/

Comfortably Cool on April 16, 2024 at 8:37 am

I don’t understand why all letters of United need to be capitalized. Don’t recall ever seeing a theatre name treated like that.

Ken Roe on April 16, 2024 at 9:14 am

Spelt like that on their website page.

Droog on April 16, 2024 at 12:40 pm

Check out the GARMAR in Montebello. Grew up at that one.

Comfortably Cool on April 17, 2024 at 10:00 am

Management certainly has the right to capitalize a theatre’s name in signage and in its own advertising/publicity, but it has always been the practice in newspapers, trade journals, and such to capitalize just the first letter of the name. Note the caption to this photo of the Garmar from Boxoffice Magazine. [Click here[ (https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2057/photos/244427)