Photograph by Jon Ortner, Courtesy of United Palace
The words “stunning” and “opulent” are hardly enough to describe the grandeur of Washington Heights‘ United Palace, the fifth of the Loew’s Wonder Theatres built in the New York City metropolitan area. When it opened in 1930 as the Loew’s 175th Street Theatre, the space primarily hosted first-run movies and vaudeville events. Today, it continues to stand thanks to the efforts of the United Palace of Spiritual Arts, which saved it from demolition by purchasing it in 1969.
While it’s still home to this spiritual center today, the theater — Manhattan’s fourth largest at 3,400 seats — also serves as a performance venue and has hosted a variety of artists including Lenny Kravitz, Adele, Bryan Ferry, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, to name a few.
This year, the United Palace will be celebrating its 90th anniversary! In honor of the special milestone, United Palace will be hosting a celebratory concert featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill and partnering with Untapped New York Insiders for a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater. Learn how you can join that tour here and check out the top 10 secrets of United Palace below!
Header photograph by Jon Ortner, Courtesy of United Palace