Hollywood Buildings in Flux

The L.A. Times brings together the various Hollywood projects mentioned previously here and elsewhere, including proposals to add new development to the Hollywood Palladium; Columbia Square (which has recently changed hands again); the Old Spaghetti Factory (once home to KMPC-AM, among other former tenants); and the Nickelodeon on Sunset theatre (which has also gone through several changes through the years, but is being sold by current owners the Sunset-Gower Studios). All four buildings are historically relevant... and their fates are unclear.

The Times reports:

The projects are part of a rush among developers to renovate several older buildings and transform many of the district's parking lots into condominiums, apartments and shops.

More than 1,000 new housing units are under construction or have been completed in the last three years, and an additional 4,500 units are anticipated. Some of the largest projects are planned near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, where more than $1.2 billion of development has been proposed.

"Hollywood is one of few places in L.A. that can elegantly accommodate growth," said Tom Cody, a principal at home builder Gerding/Edlen Development Co., which plans to build condominiums at one Sunset Boulevard site.

Looks like the L.A. Conservancy and groups like Hollywood Heritage will have their hands full in the coming months. We've already lost so much in Hollywood (it still saddens me to see the bank on the corner of Sunset and Vine where NBC's art deco radio studios once stood).



The Nickelodeon on Sunset space started out in the 1930s as the "Earl Carroll Theater"; it was later renamed the "Aquarius Theater," where The Doors once performed and "Hullabaloo" was taped. Later, "Star Search" made its home there. It suffered its worst indignity in 1993 when it was briefly renamed "The Chevy Chase Theater," where the comedian hosted his ill-fated talk show. Nickelodeon signed a 10-year lease in 1997, and since then has used the space to shoot live-action comedies such as "All That."