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.

[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979,[1] two years after it was closed due to declining business.

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 uptown and downtown sections.

It is topped by a highly detailed entablature, its cornice decorated with lions' heads, anthemion leaves, dentils and egg-and-dart molding.

It is coffered, with plain and decorated grillwork and solid recessed panels with dentils, anthemion leaves and other foliate molding.

Around the central recess is a wide band with urns, rosettes and cartouches bordered by rinceau and foliate triangles.

The largest derrick in the state at that time was used to put the steel framing in place for the auditorium and proscenium arch.

The program shown to the capacity crowd of 1,703 included five vaudeville acts and Howard Hawks' comedy The Cradle Snatchers.

In 1977 the Reade organization closed the theater, citing competition for moviegoers from suburban shopping malls with multiple screens.

To avert the building's possible demolition, a nonprofit organization, the Ulster Performing Arts Center, was formed and bought the theater.