4. There Was a Men’s Smoking Lounge and Lady’s Retiring Room
Michael Fitelson, the executive director of the United Palace of Cultural Arts, tells us that one of his favorite fun facts about the theater is that it was home to a men’s smoking lounge and a lady’s retiring room (essentially the same thing just under a different name).
Both were on the mezzanine, acting as adjunct places to the restrooms. For a while, the men’s smoking lounge also served as Rev. Ike’s personal library, but today, it’s a VIP area and meeting space. The retiring room, on the other hand, was never as grand and functions now as a storage room.