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{{Infobox NRHP
| name                     = Executive Office Building, Old Warner Brothers Studio
| nrhp_type                =
| designated_other1        = LAHCM
| designated_other1_date   = September 21, 1977
| designated_other1_number = 180
| image                    = ExecutiveOfficeBldg OldWarnerBrosStudio nowKTLA comd.jpg
| caption                  =
| location                 = {{nowrap|5800 Sunset Boulevard}}<br />[[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]]<br />90028
| coordinates              = {{coord|34|5|51|N|118|19|2|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin                 = USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#California#USA
| area                     =
| built                    = 1923
| architect                =
| architecture             = Classical Revival
| added                    = November 1, 2002
| refnum                   = 02001257
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
}}

The '''Old Warner Brothers Studio''', officially called today '''Sunset Bronson Studios''' (formerly known as '''KTLA Studios''' and '''Tribune Studios'''), is a motion picture, radio and television production facility located on [[Sunset Boulevard]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. The studio was the site where the first talking feature film, ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'', was filmed in 1927.

Originally built in 1919, the main building fronting Sunset Boulevard was the site of a [[bowling alley]] during the 1940s and 50s. In the mid-1950s, the studio lot was divided in two, between [[KTLA]] television and [[Paramount Pictures]]. In 1963, the entire lot was taken over by new owner Gene Autry (as KTLA Studios) and became the home of KTLA Television: Golden West Broadcasters. In 1984, the lot was purchased by [[Tribune Company]] (as Tribune Studios), before finally coming under the ownership of [[Hudson Pacific Properties]] as Sunset Bronson Studios in 2008.

Due to its role in the history of the motion picture business, the site was designated as a Historic Cultural Landmark in LAHCM 1977. The distinctive Executive Office Building, part of [[Warner Brothers]]' original studio lot, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles|National Register of Historic Places]] in 2002.

==History==

===Warner Bros. Studio===
The studio facilities at 5800 Sunset Boulevard were first built in 1919. In the early 1920s, the facilities were acquired by [[Warner Bros.]] and served as the company's executive offices and principal studios during the 1920s. In 1923, the Western Motion Picture Advertisers' Association held its "WAMPAS Frolic" at "the new Warner Brothers' studio on Sunset Boulevard" with "a great aggregation of film luminaries present."<ref name=Wampas>{{cite news|title=Stage Set for Frolic at Studio: Special Newspaper Will Be Issued on Night of 'Wampas Ball'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1923-04-19}}</ref> At the time, the studio was {{convert|350|ft|m}} long and {{convert|200|ft|m}} wide, "making it the largest covered-over stage in the world."<ref name=Wampas/>

The site has been recognized as a historic site in large part due to its having been the location where the first talking feature-length motion picture, ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' was filmed in 1927.<ref name=Razing/><ref name=Shippey/><ref name=Hollon/><ref name=Stars>{{cite web|title=KTLA Studios|publisher=Seeing-Stars.com|url=http://www.seeing-stars.com/tvstudios/KTLA.shtml}} ("The studio was built in 1919, and it was here that the world's first 'talkie' was filmed back in 1927: Al Jolson's ''The Jazz Singer'', which put an end to the age of silent movies and revolutionized the Hollywood film industry.")</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Krikorian|title=Los Angeles City Hall Journal|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1994-05-15}} ("The studio is a Hollywood landmark where the first talking motion picture, ''The Jazz Singer'', was filmed in 1927.")</ref> It was also the studio for radio station [[KFWB]] in its early years as Warner Bros.' Los Angeles radio station.

In 1930, Warner Bros. announced the consolidation of its executive offices with those of [[First National Pictures]], with the executive offices being moved from the Sunset Boulevard studio to the [[Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank|First National Studios]] in [[Burbank, California]].<ref name=Fuses>{{cite news|title=Warner Fuses Studio Offices|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1930-11-12}}</ref> Warner also began moving its filming to the Burbank studios in 1930 and 1931, though the Sunset Boulevard studios remained in active use during the 1930s both for motion picture filming and "phonograph recordings."<ref name=Fuses/><ref>{{cite news|title=New Buildings Finished at Warner Brothers Lot|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1931-01-07}}</ref>  Even after the move to Burbank, Warner continued to film motion pictures at its Sunset Boulevard studios in the 1930s. Warner's classic ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' cartoons were also produced at the Sunset studio facilities, from 1933 to 1955.<ref name=Stars/><ref>[[Leonard Maltin|Maltin, Leonard]] (1980, rev. 1987). ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons''. Penguin Books. Pg.s. 229-230 {{ISBN|0-452-25993-2}}.</ref> In 1933, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that Warner Bros., "contrary to the popular view, is keeping its Sunset Boulevard studio in active use, with a company or two shooting there each day, and is also using the old [[Vitagraph]] plant."<ref>{{cite news|title=Studio Space Shortage Seen: Picture Plants Economize by Spreading Out|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1933-03-06}}</ref> In December 1934, a fire destroyed {{convert|15|acre|m2}} of the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, forcing the company to put its Sunset Boulevard studio back into full use. At the time of the fire, [[Jack L. Warner]] noted: "We have ample facilities at our Sunset Boulevard studio to take care of all immediate mechanical and constructional requirements."<ref>{{cite news|title=Films Go On Despite Fire: Burned Studio to Be Rebuilt; 'Full Speed Ahead' Orders Given by Producers in Wake of Blaze|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1934-12-06}}</ref>

By 1935, film historians were already noting the loss of the industry's early studio facilities, many of which had become ghost towns, but the Warner Bros. Sunset studios were still running at full production:

<blockquote>Warner Brothers Studio on Sunset Boulevard is far from dead. Probably more shooting is done there than at the First National plant Warners absorbed, for there are four modern stages there. But the ghost stage is the one on which history was made -- Stage 3, on which the first all-talking picture was made. It is a small stage, though and sentiment -- except as it applied to relatives who have to be on the payroll or else supported some other way -- has very little to do with making pictures.<ref name=Shippey>{{cite news|first=Lee|last=Shippey|author-link=Lee Shippey|title=The Lee Side o' L.A.: Ghost Towns in Hollywood, Studios Once Glory That Was Grease Paint|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1935-03-19}}</ref></blockquote>

===Bowling alley and sports center===
However, in 1937, Warner had closed the Sunset Boulevard studio, and the property had been converted into a [[bowling alley]] and "sports center". The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported on the conversion of the historic studio as follows:

<blockquote>Note on the passing of an era: A painted sign hung over the front door is all there is to indicate that the Warner Bros. Sunset studio is no more. The birthplace of the Vitaphone is a 'sports center', and Stage One, where many of the first talkies retched their way into being, is a battery of [[Badminton|badminton courts]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Philip K.|last=Scheuer|title=Town Called Hollywood|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1937-11-28}}</ref></blockquote>

===Paramount and KTLA television studios===
In 1954, the Sunset Boulevard studio resumed its association with the entertainment business as television pioneer [[Klaus Landsberg]], vice-president of Paramount Television Productions and general manager of [[KTLA]], the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi, acquired the {{convert|10|acre|m2|adj=on}} site as the future home of Paramount Television Productions. Paramount undertook a $2 million reconstruction program at the site.<ref>{{cite news|title=No Title, page E9|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1954-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Paramount Will Have New TV Headquarters|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1954-10-10}}</ref> As part of the reconstruction program in 1955, Paramount razed the older buildings at the studio. The ''Los Angeles Times'' noted at the time: "The birthplace of the talkies is disappearing into dust in Hollywood. Demolition crews are razing the older buildings of the old Warner Bros. Sunset Blvd. studio where the nasal voice of Al Jolson recorded on Vitaphone, first made talking pictures a commercial reality."<ref name=Razing>{{cite news|title=Workmen Razing Home of Talkies: Warner Bros. Sunset Blvd. Saw Production of Historic 'Jazz Singer'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1955-03-20}} ("This is where ''The Jazz Singer'', that cinematic milestone, was made.")</ref> The old executive office building and large antenna which for years displayed the words "Warner Bros. Vitaphone" were preserved. However, the old theater where Warner executives watched screenings of the studio's latest works was destroyed.<ref name=Razing/> There have been conflicting reports as to whether the soundstage on which ''The Jazz Singer'' was filmed was razed in the process (as noted below, a 1977 newspaper report suggests the building still existed at that time). At the time, Klaus Landsberg noted that "only the older buildings, including the historic Stage 1, are being destroyed, that newer facilities on the big lot are being renovated and reconditioned for the television operation."<ref name=Razing/>

In 1967, [[Gene Autry]] and his company, Golden West Broadcasters, acquired the old studio property from Paramount for $5 million. Golden West had previously acquired KTLA and had been leasing the space from Paramount.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gene Autry Firm Buys Paramount Sunset Studio|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1967-01-21}}</ref>

In 1977, a celebration was held in Hollywood marking the 50th anniversary of the talking motion picture. A parade of old cars, including a [[Model T]] and a [[Ford Model A (1927–31)|Model A]], moved down Sunset Boulevard ending at the KTLA studios where ''The Jazz Singer'' had been filmed 50 years earlier. The [[United States Postmaster General]] [[Benjamin F. Bailar]] and [[MPAA]] President [[Jack Valenti]] were on hand for the [[First day of issue|first-day issue]] ceremony of a [[commemorative stamp]] honoring the 50th anniversary of the first "talking picture."<ref name=Hollon>{{cite news|first=John|last=Hollon|title=A March Into Golden Era|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1977-10-07}}</ref> According to a ''Los Angeles Times'' report at the time, the 1977 parade carried former film greats "to Stage Six at KTLA, the same stage that was the site of ''The Jazz Singer''".<ref name=Hollon/>

With the sale of KTLA from Golden West in 1982, the studios had three owners in the 1980s, with [[Kohlberg Kravis Roberts]] owning them from late 1982 until 1984, when Tribune Broadcasting acquired them.

===Sunset Bronson Studios===
In 2001, [[Tribune Entertainment|Tribune Entertainment Company]], then the owner of the site, announced plans to overhaul the Sunset Boulevard studio facility, transforming it into the nation's first fully digital studio lot at a cost between $10 million and $20 million.<ref>{{cite news|first=Darrell|last=Saltzman|title=Tribune Banking on Digital At Historic Sunset Studios|publisher=Los Angeles Business Journal|date=2001-02-26}}</ref>  In January 2008, Tribune Entertainment sold the studios to Hudson Capital, LLC, (now [[Hudson Pacific Properties]]) for $125 million.  At the time of 2008 transition, productions at the studio facility included television series ''[[Judge Judy]]'' (1996–2021), ''[[Judge Joe Brown]]'' (1998–2013), ''[[Judge Alex]]'' (2010–2014), ''[[Divorce Court]]'' (1999–2018), ''[[Hannah Montana]]'' (2008–2011), ''[[Phenomenon (TV series)|Phenomenon]]'' (2007–2008), and others.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hudson Capital LLC Acquires Hollywood's Tribune Studios and Real Estate for $125 Million|publisher=Business Wire|date=2008-01-31|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS270718+31-Jan-2008+BW20080131|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308093311/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS270718+31-Jan-2008+BW20080131|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-03-08}}</ref> Tribune Studios was then renamed Sunset Bronson Studios and became co-owned with nearby [[Sunset Gower Studios]], the former [[Columbia Pictures]] studio lot. ''Let's Make a Deal'' was taped at the studio from 2010-2015.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lelyved|first1=Nita|title=City Beat: With the tourists out of town, let's make a deal!|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-city-beat-with-the-tourists-out-of-town-lets-make-a-deal-20130922-story.html|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=23 September 2013|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref>

Hudson Pacific Properties announced in 2014 plans to build a 14-story office tower next door to the landmark executive office building. This cast-in-place, cantilevered structure was designed by [[Gensler]] and built by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. This anchors the expansion of Sunset Bronson Studios that also includes a 1,600-space parking structure and a five-story, 90,000-square-foot production building.<ref>Vincent, Roger (April 17, 2014) [http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-property-report-20140417,0,1407474.story "Office tower to rise next to historic Hollywood studio"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> An iconic 160-foot tower was dismantled in December 2014 to make way for construction of an office building by Hudson Pacific Properties. After structural retrofitting and renovation, it was restored and relocated to its original location. The tower was erected in 1925 as one of two radio towers that served Warner Bros.' affiliate radio station, KFWB. While one of the towers was dismantled in 1950, this tower was moved. In 1955, KTLA moved into the site and added its call sign and logo to the tower. With the tower's visibility from the [[Hollywood Freeway]], it was a notable landmark for over 60 years.<ref>Masunaga, Samantha (November 24, 2014) [http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ktla-radio-tower-20141124-story.html "Crane removes iconic KTLA radio tower for renovation and relocation"] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

The new office tower holds production offices for [[Netflix]].<ref name=Reuters21315>{{cite web|author1=Spangler, Todd|title=Netflix Inks Hollywood Office Tower Lease for 200,000 Square Feet|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-hollywood-office-tower-lease-1201580036/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=27 August 2015}}</ref> Netflix also now occupies most of the studio lot's sound stages for content production.

==Historic designation==
In 1977, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson asked the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission to declare the KTLA-KMPC production facilities a historic monument. The proposal was time to coincide with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of ''The Jazz Singer'' and was based on the facilities' role as "the site of the filming of the first feature film with synchronized dialogue, Warner Bros.' ''The Jazz Singer'', filmed there in 1927 when the studio was the home of Warner Bros."<ref>{{cite news|title='Jazz Singer' Site as a Cultural Monument|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1927-09-05}}</ref>  The Commission followed the recommendation and declared the studio facilities at 5800 Sunset Boulevard a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #180) in September 1977 as the "Site of the Filming of the First Talking Film."<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Historic Cultural Monuments|publisher=City of Los Angeles|url=http://www.cityprojectca.org/ourwork/documents/HCMDatabase090707.pdf}}</ref>  In 1979, the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote an article criticizing the city's failure to preserve the early studio buildings of the motion picture industry and noted that only a handful of film industry sites, including the Old Warner Bros. Studio on Sunset, had been designated as Historic Cultural Monuments.<ref>{{cite news|first=Ray|last=Hebert|title=Studio Buildings - Gone With the Wind|work=Los Angeles Times|date=1979-12-16}}</ref>  The facilities were also listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2002.

==See also==
* [[Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank]]
* [[Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden]]
* [[List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood|Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood]]
* [[List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sunset Bronson Studios}}
*[http://sgsandsbs.com/sunset_bronson.php Sunset Bronson Studios official site]

{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{LAHMC}}
{{Greater Hollywood}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Warner Bros. Studios]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hollywood, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles)]]
[[Category:Television studios in the United States]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1923]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles]]