 | |
| Company type | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media Entertainment |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Headquarters | 1438 North Gower Street Hollywood,California 90028 |
| Products | Television Movie |
| Website | www |
Sunset Gower Studios is a 14-acre (57,000 m2) television and movie studio at the corner ofSunset Boulevard andNorth Gower Street in theHollywood neighborhood ofLos Angeles,California, United States. Established in 1912, it continues today as Hollywood's largest independent studio[1] and an active facility for television and film production on its twelve soundstages.
ThePoverty Row area of Hollywood, bounded by Sunset Boulevard on the North, Gower Street on the West, and Beachwood Drive on the East, was a collection of small warehouses and offices where independent film makers gathered to buy "short ends" of film from the major studios, in order to create their "great American dreams". In 1922,Harry Cohn ofCohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales Corporation rented 6070 Sunset Blvd in Poverty Row.[2][3] Following success and a move into feature films, CBC was renamedColumbia Pictures, and in 1926 acquired a Gower Street property with stages previously used by California Studios. In 1928, Columbia's official address became 1438 Gower Street and that year they bought the last piece of land of the old Gower Ranch at 1400 N Gower Street.[3]
The Sunset Gower Studios lot, the home of such Columbia classics asFrank Capra'sIt Happened One Night in 1934,Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in 1939, theThree Stooges shorts,Funny Girl andThe Caine Mutiny, has continued to host productions of top new films such asThe Good Shepherd andThe Good German. Television programs which have occupied several sound stages most notably include current seriesScandal andHow to Get Away with Murder and ended seriesHeroes,Dexter,NewsRadio,The Amanda Show,Deal or No Deal,Saved by the Bell,Hip Hop Harry,City Guys,Six Feet Under,JAG,Married... with Children,Soap,That's So Raven,Moesha,The Parkers,The Donna Reed Show,Father Knows Best,Hazel,I Dream of Jeannie,Bewitched,The Monkees, the first two seasons ofThe Golden Girls,[2] the final three seasons ofThe Facts of Life, and the final two seasons ofSilver Spoons.
Harry Cohn died in 1958 at the age of 66. His memorial service was held on stages 12 and 14 at the studios (there is no stage 13).
Without the guidance of the Cohn Brothers, Columbia Pictures Corporation was not the profit-making company it once was. Between 1970 and 1972, Columbia moved from the 14-acre (57,000 m2) lot and joined forces withWarner Bros. inBurbank to what would later be calledThe Burbank Studios,[4] then subsequently later moved to theSony Pictures Studios (formerlyMGM andLorimar Studio) inCulver City. Its "back lot" on Hollywood Way in Burbank, where the Columbia westerns were made, became the property of Warner Bros.
Columbia Pictures Corporation, renamed "Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc." after merging with its television subsidiaryScreen Gems (nowSony Pictures Television) in 1968,[5] Columbia Pictures Industries relocated to the above mentioned Warner Brother-The Burbank Studios.[4] A large list of successful films were produced during this time, and in 1982, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. was sold toThe Coca-Cola Company for $750 million.[6]
Despite the merger, the Sunset and Gower studios provided the soundstages for popular television shows likeBewitched andI Dream of Jeannie.[7] In 1976, the property was purchased by the Pick Vanoff Company for $6.2 million.[8] The name was changed to "Sunset Gower Studios" and the lot became a rental facility for independent film companies. It was also used in the seventies as a music rehearsal facility called Pirate Sound Studios,[9] catering to musicians such asElton John,Fleetwood Mac,Eagles,Led Zeppelin,Ringo Starr,Frank Zappa, andOlivia Newton-John. For a time, stages 12 and 14 became indoor tennis courts.
In November 2004, Sunset Gower Studios was purchased byGI Partners for an estimated $105 million, and in 2006 began construction on a six-story building forTechnicolor SA.
In August 2007, Sunset Gower Studios was bought by Hudson Capital. The Technicolor building opened its doors in 2008. Since 2007, the studio has been undergoing both interior and exterior improvements on the lot. Sunset Gower Studios is now working closely with its sister companySunset Bronson Studios, located just a couple of blocks east on the site of the original Warner Bros. lot (1923–37), formerly owned byTribune Broadcasting, andSunset Las Palmas Studios, formerly the Hollywood Center Studios until 2017.
In 2017, developerHudson Pacific Properties submitted plans providing details of its new vision for Hollywood's landmark Sunset Gower Studios. The firm plans to demolish approximately 160,600 square feet (14,920 m2) of existing buildings at 6050 W on the 16-acre (6.5 ha) site. Sunset Boulevard adding storage area of 628,000 square feet (58,300 m2).[10]
34°5′46″N118°19′16″W / 34.09611°N 118.32111°W /34.09611; -118.32111
