In 1925, Kingston resident and entrepreneur Harry Lazarus bought several properties on Cedar Street and Broadway in order to build a beautiful theater – the present-day Ulster Performing Arts Center. Designed by New York City architect Douglas P. Hall, the 1703-seat Broadway Theatre, as it was known then, opened on June 9, 1927 as a movie palace and vaudeville house.
In the early years, the theater was equipped with a Wurlitzer organ and featured its own 10-piece orchestra. However, Lazarus also kept pace with the latest film-projection and audio technology, advertising that his theater was “Where Kingston goes to see good shows.”
In 1929, Lazarus sold his controlling interest in the theater, and Walter Reade took over its management. The Walter Reade Organization assumed full ownership in 1947.
A major renovation in 1954 called for the replacement of the 1927 marquee and blade sign with an imposing neoclassical portico, and a thorough remodel of the interior, which included installing new seats and air conditioning. The venue was rededicated as the Community Theatre on January 15, 1955, and Reade called it the “showcase theatre” of his entire organization.
But by 1977, the flight of business and entertainment from downtown centers to suburban malls caused the Walter Reade Organization to file for bankruptcy, and it was feared the theater would be demolished. Fortunately, a team of concerned citizens led by three inspired and dedicated partners: Norm Rafalowsky, Helen Newcombe and C. Lincoln Christensen stepped in to save it. Through their efforts, a non-profit corporation was formed to purchase the Community Theatre, and it reopened as the Ulster Performing Arts Center, with Christensen serving as the board’s first president. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as one of the last great show palaces in New York State.
Sixteen years later, revitalization began with some interior renovation to ready the theater for its 75th Anniversary in 2002. In 2006, with the theater now part of the Bardavon organization, a comprehensive, multi-phase restoration plan was put in place, making vital exterior and interior improvements, thus allowing the theater to better serve its patrons.
Today, the Ulster Performing Arts Center is once again a premier performing arts venue of the Hudson Valley, presenting a diverse year-round season of superb productions, including national and international headliners in music, dance, theater, comedy and more. With a 1500-seat capacity, it remains the largest proscenium theater between Manhattan and Albany.