Los Angeles University Cathedral

Los Angeles University Cathedral, also known as the United Artists Theater, is a former movie palace and Protestant church located in the Texaco Building at 937 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California. It was designed by the architect C. Howard Crane of the firm Walker & Eisen[1] for the United Artists corporation formed by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

Construction was completed in 1927. The theater was the first of many constructed by United Artists and served as the first major preview house located in Los Angeles rather than in New York City. The building was the tallest privately owned structure in Los Angeles until 1956. Its style is Spanish Gothic, patterned after a cathedral in Segovia, Spain.

The building was first leased by the late pastor Dr. William Eugene ("Gene") Scott in 1989, to be used as the location from which to broadcast the live Sunday services of his ministry. Scott held his first Sunday service there in 1990 and continued to hold Sunday services there until his death in 2005. A designated historic monument in itself, the building was for many years topped by the historic "Jesus Saves" neon signs (originally from the Church of the Open Door). They were located in the rear lower roof, one facing the west and one north, until September 10, 2011, when one sign was removed by crane. The building was claimed to house the largest collection of bibles in private hands. After leasing for thirteen years, Dr. Gene Scott purchased the building in 2002.

After Scott's death, services continued to be held at the Los Angeles University Cathedral by pastor Melissa Scott, the widow of Gene Scott, with services broadcast over TV, Shortwave radio, and the Internet. In October 2011, Scott's Westcott Christian Center Inc. sold the building to Greenfield Partners, a real estate investment company located in South Norwalk, Connecticut, for $11 million.[2]

References

  1. ^ David Gebhard & Robert Winter, Architecture in Los Angeles: A Compleat Guide (Gibbs M. Smith Books, 1985), ISBN 978-0879050870, p.232
  2. ^ Roger Vincent, "Historic United Artists building sells for $11 million", Los Angeles Times, October 17, 2011.

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