The theatre is incorporated into a 12-story Beaux Arts style[5] 1921 office block called the United Building, situated at the intersection of S. Broadway and 7th St.

[9] The Gumm Sisters played vaudeville at the theatre in 1929, featuring a lead singer who earned the nickname “Leather Lungs”[10] because of her ability to be heard clearly at the rear of the 125 ft deep auditorium.

Vaudeville ended at the State in 1935 and the Gumm Sisters moved to Culver City to appear in experimental Technicolor musicals where “Leather Lungs” changed her name to Judy Garland.

Directly above the center of the proscenium arch, occupying a small niche, is a seated Billiken figure as a good luck charm.

The theatre boasts a vibrant fire/safety curtain, by Armstrong-Powers,[8] depicting a futuristic fantasy city of onion-domed towers surrounded by planets and comet trails.