6. It Is the Only Loew’s Wonder Without a Distinctive Style
With the exception of the United Palace, each of the Loew’s Wonder Theatres had a distinctive architectural style, ranging from French Renaissance to Venetian to Spanish. However, the United Palace was a “mash-up of all types of exotic, Far Eastern symbols and iconography,” according to Fitelson. In fact, the Far East was “all the rage back in the 1920s,” and the theater was purposefully designed to transport visitors from New York City streets to a “fantasyland.” This was especially important because the United Palace was the only Loew’s Theatre to open after The Great Depression, creating a need for “escapist” entertainment.
Decorative specialist, Harold Rambusch — who also did the Waldorf Astoria and Radio City Music Hall — was the mastermind behind the theater’s elaborate interior. “There’s just a huge variety of architectural motifs,” says Fitelson. If you have the opportunity to enter the stunning space, keep an eye out for eclectic features, including lions, dragons, Buddhas and cherubs. To give you a hint of where to start, seahorses can be spotted dangling from a chandelier in the grand foyer, says Fitelson.