A classic example of art deco style, the United Artists Theatre was designed by architects Clifford A. Balch, P. A. Eisen, and A. R. Walker, and opened in 1931. Southern California architectural guidebooks frequently mention the theater when discussing art deco in Los Angeles. Two of its most distinctive features were twin artworks on either side of the building’s façade titled “Unity” and “Artistry.”
Early in its existence, the theater was a popular “preview house,” where rough cuts of films were shown to gauge audience reactions. Famed director Alfred Hitchcock screened Suspicion at the theater on June 13, 1941, while RKO Pictures screened Orson Welles’s The Magnificent Ambersons on March 19, 1942.
These screenings proved to have a dramatic impact on the fate of both films.
Audience laughter at Suspicion‘s original ending caused Hitchcock to write and shoot an entirely new conclusion to the film, while tepid reactions to The Magnificent Ambersons were at least partly responsible for its eventual drastic re-editing by the studio.
A 1960 renovation covered the beautiful art deco façade of the theater, and added a new sign and unsightly aluminum panels that obscured its unique features.
After the theater closed in 1990, it stood empty for several years until a 1997 restoration costing $500,000 breathed new life into the building, transforming it into Angels School Supply. Though the auditorium was gutted, the art deco style from the theater’s early days was restored, and today the distinctive “Artistry” and “Unity” panels were revealed once again.