United Palace

The United Palace (originally Loew's 175th Street Theatre) is a theater at 4140 Broadway in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The theater, occupying a city block between Broadway, Wadsworth Avenue, and West 175th and 176th Streets, is both a house of worship and a cultural center. The architect, Thomas W. Lamb, designed the theater as a movie palace, which opened on February 22, 1930, as one of five Loew's Wonder Theatres in the New York City area. The theater's interior decor, incorporating elements of numerous architectural styles, was supervised by Lamb and Harold Rambusch. Like the other Wonder Theaters, the United Palace features a "Wonder Morton" theater pipe organ manufactured by the Robert Morton Organ Company, though the organ is no longer operable.

The theater was built specifically to present films and live shows, the latter of which were discontinued shortly after the theater opened. The theater operated until 1969, when the television evangelist Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, better known as Reverend Ike, acquired it. The theater became the headquarters of his United Church Science of Living Institute and was renamed the United Palace. Latin American music acts began using the theater in the 1990s, and the United Church began renting the theater out as an event venue in 2007. Various parts of the theater, such as the movie screen and sound system, have been upgraded gradually during the 2010s and 2020s.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a city landmark in 2016. The church is called the United Palace of Spiritual Arts, and it offers performing arts events through the United Palace of Cultural Arts. When the Loew's 175th Street Theatre was in operation, Hollywood stars appeared at the theater to host films. In addition to concerts, the theater hosts other events such as graduation ceremonies, film shoots, meetings, and recording sessions. Critics have written about the mixture of architectural styles used in the building's design.