Hollywoods rebirth continues with the recreation and expansion of Columbia Square. In the heart of the "Gower Gulch" (near the corner of Sunset & Gower) is Columbia Square, a CBS studio which houses many network's local affiliates. Coming soon is an office tower, condo tower and a hotel. This project furthers the dream to keep Hollywood on the upside track.
The project is being built around the historic CBS Studios site. The studios are incorporated into the design. The condo tower is estimated to have 200 units and will be 28 stories tall. There will be a 7 story hotel and an office tower that will be 17 stories with 442,610 square feet of office space. It is also mentioned that 105,510 square feet of the existing 136,233 square foot Columbia Square complex, built in 1938, will be retained and renovated.
Notable from an historic standpoint, Columbia Square was built back in 1938 as a CBS radio studio, on the former site of the Nestor Film Company, the very first movie studio ever built in Hollywood dating back to 1910. TV didn't exist in 1938, radio was incredibly important in people's lives at the time. The Streamline Modern building was considered the largest and most cutting-edge facility in the country. It contained eight different studios, and housed L.A.'s first radio station.
Some of the most popular national programs on radio back in the 40's and 50's (the equivalent to today's hot TV sitcoms) were broadcast live from right here at Columbia Square, including the Jack Benny Show, the George Burns & Gracie Allen Show, the Edgar Bergen Show (with Charlie McCarthy), Gene Autry's Melody Ranch and the Bing Crosby Show. Later, the very first pilot episode for the classic "I Love Lucy" was filmed here.
There is expected opposition from residents, but that is the case will all new developments in this city. Once completed this project will bring in mass revenue to the city of Hollywood.
