Ulster Performing Arts Center
| Broadway Theater, Community Theater | |
Front portico of theater, viewed from west, 2008
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| Address | 601 Broadway Kingston, NY USA |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bardavon/UPAC Theaters |
| Designation | NRHP #79001639 |
| Type | Movie palace/vaudeville |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Current use | Musical performances |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1927 |
| Reopened | 2002 |
| Architect | Douglas P. Hall |
| Tenants | |
| Hudson Valley Philharmonic | |
| Website | |
| www.bardavon.org/ | |
The Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), originally the Broadway Theater and Community Theatre, is located on Broadway in Kingston, New York, United States. A Classical Revival building built in 1926, it is the only unaltered pre-World War II theater left in the city, and one of only three from that era in the Hudson Valley. It is also the largest proscenium theater between Manhattan and Albany.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, two years after it was closed due to declining business. It remained vacant until an extensive renovation effort late in the 20th century allowed it to reopen in 2002. Today it is operated by the Bardavon Theater in nearby Poughkeepsie. While it served primarily as a movie palace in its earlier incarnation, today it primarily hosts musical performances. The Hudson Valley Philharmonic calls it home due to its superior acoustics, and many popular recording artists have made UPAC a stop on their concert tours.
The theater is on a half-acre (2,000 m²) lot on the south side of Broadway in the center of the city, midway between its and downtown sections. Broadway is mainly commercial; the neighborhoods behind the theater are residential.
At the street, its northeast (main) facade is two stories high by 11 bays wide. The rear, theater portion rises three to four stories, dominating the block. The entire building is made of brick, with a granite-capped parapet with Aztec designs along the front roofline.
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