It’s an architectural marvel. Once called a kitchen-sink masterpiece. And now, for the first time in the heart of Washington Heights — home to the Tony Awards.

”There’s life beyond 96th Street and I think they are getting the message without question. I think they realize Broadway does extend up here. It doesn’t just extend here. It is alive here,” Niria Leyva-Gutiérrez, Executive Director of Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, said.

What You Need To Know

  • The Tony awards are looking to connect with a wider and more diverse audience by holding their annual ceremony in Washington Heights, a predominately Latino community

  • The ceremony will take place in the United Palace, an architectural gem, located in the heart of Washington Heights

  • The theater, the fourth largest in Manhattan, opened in 1930 as a luxurious movie palace. It is fulfilling that mission once again thanks to the efforts of a favorite son of the neighborhood Lin Manuel Miranda

They are the Tony leaders who announced in December that the United Palace at 175th Street and Broadway would be hosting this year’s Tony Awards ceremony. The event has traditionally been held in the Theater District in Midtown for over seven decades.

”I think it speaks volumes about how the Tony Awards, the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing really decided to expand their footprint, expand our audience,” Mike Fitelson, CEO of the United Palace, said. “For the past few years, they’ve been looking for new stories to tell on stage and now I think they are reaching out and trying to find new audiences to share them with.

United Palace opened in 1930 as a movie and vaudeville house. It was one of the Loews Wonder Theaters, a place where New Yorkers could come and watch films during the golden age of Hollywood.

In recent years, it has welcomed artists ranging from Iggy Pop to Bob Dylan and thanks to the efforts of favorite son Lin Manuel Miranda, it’s fulfilling once again its original mission, showing movies on a large screen.

For many activists and artists who work and live in this neighborhood, the decision to bring the Tony Awards to this iconic theater was simply the next step in its long and storied history.

”I thought it’s about time,” Leyva-Gutiérrez said. “Here we are on Broadway with one of the most spectacular theaters, certainly in New York if not in this country and it seemed to me a perfect opportunity to showcase the Tonys on this beautiful stage and to do it in a community where this palace means so much.”

A palace that still dazzles after all these years with its intricate decor and boasts having been designated a New York City landmark in 2016.

The community hopes that the United Palace can host the event once again next year, bringing the best of Broadway to this community.

”We would love to have the Tonys back. We would love to make this an annual experience for everybody and to continue to help sharing the Broadway stories with a broader audience.” Fitelson said.