The Ukrainian Culture Center, located at Melrose Avenue and Heliotrope Drive in Hollywood, opened in 1924 as Jensen’s Melrose Theatre. It was built by Henry C. Jensen, a German immigrant and owner of Henry C. Jensen & Sons, brick manufacturers. Jenson, based in the Pasadena/Glendale area, developed neighborhoods as well as built and managed theaters and shopping centers in Glendale, Pasadena a Hollywood during the early 1900s.
Purchased in 1959, the theatre was remodeled into the Ukrainian Culture Center, which opened in February 1961. The original name of the theatre is still shown in the tile-work across the top of the building’s facade. Further information on Jensen and the history of the building can be found here.