Los Angeles Theatres: United Artists Theatre: sauced -- on the roof

Sauced, a New York company, is the new operator of the rooftop bar space. They opened in September 2024 with a new look for what is now a wine bar (without a wine list) with revamped French bistro style food offerings. In addition to a Brooklyn location, they also have an outpost in Manhattan and are opening soon in Nashville. They will be using their SaucedBklyn website for all the company's locations although there's not much data there. There's a SaucedBklyn Instagram feed as well as a rather dormant Facebook page.

The way to the roof is via a dedicated elevator at the north end of the facade. When Ace was running the space they called it "Upstairs." Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

The north roof:

The north roof pre-construction. This area north of the tower has been an outdoor lounge area since the building's 2014 reopening. Photo: 2009 - courtesy of Pat Lile - Coldwell Banker Pasadena

The north roof during construction. Note the construction elevator peeking above the roofline. A new elevator shaft was underway in that area as well. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012. Keep up with Hunter's explorations: hunterkerhart.com | on Flickr

Looking down in the canyon of Broadway toward the Orpheum from the UA tower level. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

The view looking to the northwest. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

An east parapet wall view. Much of the ornament atop the wall was removed decades earlier. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

The north patio. We're looking south toward the bar and elevator lobby under the tower. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Looking north on the north patio. The added elevator is in the structure behind the fireplace. Broadway is to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The view up Broadway out the corner window. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

A west view from the north patio. Off to the right is a new elevator as well as exit stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The new "Sauced" look as seen from near the elevator. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

The vista up Broadway. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

Looking east from around near the restrooms. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

A shot by Ssam Kim that appeared with a September 6, 2024 Eater LA item about the rooftop's reopening.

The tower from the north patio. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

Looking back toward the elevator from the base of the tower. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

The tower and bar area:

The tower as seen from the north roof in 2009. The top level, which once had Texaco signs on all four sides, is made of sheet metal. Photo: courtesy of Pat Lile - Coldwell Banker Pasadena

Putting a non-occupied tower atop a building and calling it a "sign support" was a device commonly used to add height to a building in the 20s and 30s yet skirt L.A.'s building code height limits. The limits were inspired by the desire to avoid dark canyons downtown. A secondary reason was perhaps concern about earthquakes. For years the United Artists was the tallest privately owned building downtown. Only City Hall was taller.

A look up at the top. Photo: 2009 - courtesy of Pat Lile - Coldwell Banker Pasadena

The tower from the south roof. Note that you can look through the tower to the north part of the roof. The radio tower on the far right is on top of the Arcade Building. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

The pool area is now in this space south of the tower. In through the door is the elevator lobby and new bar. One level above that are the elevator equipment rooms and bar support spaces. Up two floors and you're at the base of the upper portion of the tower.

A detail of the cast stone on the lower section of the tower. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

A last pre-renovation view of the outside of the tower. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - October 2012

A splendid 2013 look up inside the tower. It once appeared on the Ace Hotel Facebook page.

A north view, with the base of the tower at right. This level at the base of the tower is two floors above the larger roof area where the new bar and pool area are located. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

A staircase leads from the pool level up to the elevator equipment level. At that level, one up from the bar, there's also storage and support gear for the bar operation. A ladder from that level gets you up to the base of the tower as seen here.

The support structure for the tower. And new ductwork. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

A drone's eye view of the renovated rooftop. Ian Wood spent several months in 2014 shooting downtown theatres and other historic buildings from a drone that resembled "a mutant chicken" for his "Downtown Los Angeles." It's four minutes and forty five seconds of wonder that's not to be missed. It's on Vimeo.

A skyward late afternoon view up the restored tower. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Up inside the tower. It's lit both inside and out. The black beasts at the bottom of the photo are floods that give a nice backlight to the tower's filigree work. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

You get to the tower level up this ladder from the elevator equipment room level below. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Looking east on the elevator equipment level. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

A pre-renovation look at the elevator equipment level. Photo: Pat Lile - Coldwell Banker Pasadena - 2009. Thanks to Pat Lile for her great photo set. She brokered the sale of the building from the church to Greenfield Partners and Ace Hotels.

The door to one of the elevator equipment areas. Space not needed for the main lobby elevator bank equipment has been partitioned off for use as storage and support areas for the bar level below. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Stairs down to the bar level. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The elevator lobby at the bar/pool level. We're directly under the tower looking west. That open door on the right gets you up to the elevator equipment level above. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Looking east into the bar area. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Another view looking east. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

Old spotlights as a chandelier. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

A look through the bar. Beyond it's the pool on the south patio. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

The bar as seen from near the elevators serving the hotel. Photo: Bill Counter - September 2024

The south roof:

A vintage view looking east over the parapet wall. The caption for the undated photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection says: "Busts of medieval men look out over the rooftop of the United Artists Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles that faces the Rives-Strong Building at 9th and Main."

A view north but this time from the pool area south of the tower. Note the Jesus Saves sign in the lower left. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The pool on the roof south of the tower. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

New HVAC gear on the stagehouse roof. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The Jesus sign on the stagehouse roof lights up again. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014

The fan room area above the theatre's projection booth. The gas furnaces and ductwork are a retrofit done some decades past to replace the original boiler and steam coil installation. Photo: Bill Counter - January 2014