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click on the candy colored letters…
Here’s an Awesome New Walking Guide to the Historic Core – Neighborhood Guides – Curbed LA.
A Brief History of the Untied Artists Theatre (1927)
The United Artists Theatre opened on December 26, 1927. Two other movie palaces (one in Detroit, and another in Chicago, which was a remodeling) opened within a year heralding the studio’s entrance into the arena of theatre operation. The opening of the studio’s Flagship premiere house in LA marked the beginning of a theatre chain that was one of the nation’s largest. Mary Pickford herself selected the site and the architect spending so much money that the plaster cast molds had to be re-used in Detroit and Chicago to amortize their cost. Although C. Howard Crane of Detroit was engaged to design his only theatre west of Omaha (not counting Sydney, Australia), the 12 story office frontage for the complex was designed by the L.A. firm of Walker and Eisen for a long term lease by Texaco for their western regional offices. The UA Building was the tallest privately owned structure in LA until 1956, when the city finally repealed its Beaux Arts inspired “City Beautiful” concept of a 125foot height limit for everyone but City Hall. In fact, the tower on the roof exceeds that limit but squeezed through on a technicality since it was unoccupied space used to house elevator equipment, sprinkler system reservoir, and other equipment. The building permits described it as “signage.”