ICYMI: Councilman Will Support United Palace Landmark Designation

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez — who represents Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill — announced Wedensday the he will support landmarks designation for the United Palace Theatre.

"The United Palace is a gem," Rodriguez said during a press conference inside the theater. "It is a treasure worthy of preservation for generations to come."

Editor's note: Had a busy workweek? Check out one of Washington Heights' top stories from this week, just in case you missed it.

The theater, which occupies an entire city block between West 175th and 176th streets and Broadway and Wadsworth Avenue, was one of 10 buildings granted landmarks designation in December by the city Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC). The buildings were landmarked as part of an LPC push to address a backlog of more than 90 sites placed on the Commission’s calendar for more than two decades.

While news of the landmarks designation brought joy to neighborhood preservationists, the owners of the United Palace have stated that the landmarks designation will place onerous requirements on them when it comes to maintaining the building. Rodriguez said Wednesday that his office worked with the owners of the theater and neighborhood partners to work out concerns over rising maintenance costs.

The December landmarks designation by the LPC did not mean that the issue is settled. The City Council will have 120 days following the LPC vote to modify or deny the landmarks designation, according to the LPC website. A majority vote in the council is required to modify or deny a designation and a council vote is not actually required to approve a designation, according to the LPC.

Because Rodriguez will vote in favor of the landmarks designation, and he represents the district containing the United Palace, the designation will very likely be approved.

The United Palace was constructed throughout the 1920s and finished in 1932 to be a "Wonder Theater" for the Loews movie chain, according to LPC documents. The theater was one of three designed for Loews by architect Thomas W. Lamb, one of the top theater architects at the time, and features an "exuberant, eclectic style, adapting decorative elements from both Hindu and Islamic cultural traditions," according to the LPC.

Today the United Palace serves as a non-denominational house of worship, a cultural center and a theater and event venue.

Photo by Google Maps street view