34°05′22″N118°20′47″W / 34.089575°N 118.346475°W /34.089575; -118.346475
.JPG) Entrance to The Lot at Formosa | |
| Company type | Film studio |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | United Artists |
| Fate | Folded intoWarner Bros. andMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Successor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Headquarters | West Hollywood, California |
Key people | Mary Pickford Douglas Fairbanks Samuel Goldwyn |
Samuel Goldwyn Studio was the name thatSamuel Goldwyn used to refer to the lot located on the corner of Formosa Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard inWest Hollywood, California, as well as the offices and stages that his company,Samuel Goldwyn Productions, rented there during the 1920s and 1930s. Originally, the location was the home to thePickford–Fairbanks Studios, theUnited Artists Studio, andWarner Hollywood Studios, and its name since 2007,The Lot at Formosa.[1]
Originally built in 1912 and controlled byindependent producerJesse D. Hampton by 1918, the site was acquired byMary Pickford andDouglas Fairbanks and dubbed Pickford–Fairbanks Studios on February 15, 1919, creating blockbusters such asRobin Hood (1922) andThe Thief of Bagdad (1924).[2] Along with Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith, Pickford and Fairbanks founded United Artists Corporation (UA) and renamed the property United Artists Studio, where independent films such asThe Gold Rush (1925) andScarface (1932) were filmed. The lot was being used by several independent producers, including Samuel Goldwyn, that distributed throughUnited Artists. Although Goldwyn did not control the deed for the land, he andJoseph Schenck built many of the facilities on the lot.[3]
Schenck left United Artists in 1935, leaving his share of the deed to Goldwyn, and Fairbanks died in 1939, leaving his share to Pickford. When Goldwyn left United Artists in 1940, he sought to rename the lot Samuel Goldwyn Studio. Pickford and Goldwyn fought over the name and ownership of the property until a court ordered that the lot be auctioned in 1955. The studio changed its name from United Artists Studio to Samuel Goldwyn Studio, where were filmed hits likeWuthering Heights (1939),The Little Foxes (1941),Guys and Dolls (1955),Some Like It Hot (1959), andWest Side Story (1961).
Frank Sinatra (long-term tenant) recorded several albums, four feature films, and his own variety show, The Frank Sinatra Show at the studio. His bungalow remains standing in the remains of the studio's backlot, now home of theLADWP.
James Mulvey, Goldwyn's most trusted business confidant and president of Samuel Goldwyn Inc., outbid Pickford for the property.[4] The lot officially became Samuel Goldwyn Studio and remained so untilWarner Bros. purchased the site in 1980, naming it Warner Hollywood Studios.[5]
Warner Brothers sold the studio to private investors, who renamed it The Lot and continued to run the operations independently. In 2007, The Lot was acquired by CIM Group. In 2017, without being landmarked by the City of West Hollywood, several buildings were demolished and three LEED Gold, Class A Office buildingswere developed at the Property. In 2021, The Lot was changed to The Lot at Formosa and former management company Skye Partners was removed and CIM Group began management, and HBO signs 10-year lease at the Property, occupying all seven sound stages.
On January 7, 2025,Miramax moved to The Lot at Formosa as their new headquarters, buying a selected library ofUnited Artists films from 1919 to 1940, andSamuel Goldwyn films from 1940 to 1980.[6]
The sound department of the studio was awarded with theAcademy Award for Best Sound for the filmIn the Heat of the Night (1967).[7]
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