DEPARTMENT OF EXECUTIVE OFFICES CITY PLANNING ';ITY OF Los ANGELE OffiCE OF HISTORIC RESOURCES S. GAIL GOlDBERG, AICP CALIFORNIA DIRECTOR 200 N. SPRING STREIT, ROOM 620 (213) 97B-1271 Los ANGEtES,CA 90012-4801 (213)978-1200 VINCENT ? BERTONI, AIC? DEPUTY DIRECTOR CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION (213)978-1272 RICHARD BARRON JOHN M. DUGAN, AICP I'RESID~NT ROEllA H. LOUIE DepUTY DIRECTOR V!c£-PRESID~NT (213) 978-1274 EVA YUAN-McDANIEL GLEN C. DAKE ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA DEPUTY DIRECTOR MIA M. LEHRER ozscon MAYOR (213) 97B-1273 FAX:(213) 978-1275 FELY C. PINGOl COMMISSION EXfCUTIVE ASSISTANT (213) 978-1300 INFORMA nON (213) 978-1270 WW'N.tadty.orgfPLN Date .JAN 2 7 2009 Los Angeles City Council Room 395, City Hall 200 North Spring Street Los Angeles, California 90012 ATTENTION: Barbara Greaves, Legislative Assistant Planning and Land Use Management Committee CASE NUMBER CHC-2008-3990-HCM CBS COLUMBIA SQUARE STUDIOS 6121 SUNSET BOULEVARD At the Cultural Heritage Commission meeting of December 18, 2008 the Commission moved to include the above property in the list of Historic-Cultural Monuments, subject to adoption by the City Council. As required under the provisions of Section 22.171.10 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code, the Commission has solicited opinions and information from the office of the Council District in which the site is located and from any Department or Bureau of the city whose operations may be affected by the designation of such site as a Historic-Cultural Monument. Such designation in and of itself has no fiscal impact. Future applications for permits may cause minimal administrative costs. The City Council, according to the guidelines set forth in Section 22.171 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code, shall act on the proposed inclusion to the list within 90 days of the Council or Commission action, whichever first occurs. By resolution, the Council may extend the period for good cause for an additional 15 days. The Cultural Heritage Commission would appreciate your inclusion of the subject modification to the list of Historic-Cultural Monuments upon adoption by the City Council. The above Cultural Heritage Commission action was taken by the following vote: Moved: Commissioner Scott Seconded: Commissioner Dake Ayes: Commissioner Louie Nays: Commissioner Barron Absent: Lehrer Vote: 3-1 F I C. gol, Commission Executive Assistant Cultural Heritage Commission Ifcp Attachment: Staff Report with Findings c: Council member Eric Garcetti Apollo Real Estate Advisors Hollywood Heritage AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER RecydableandmatlafmmrecydOOwasie. @ •• ,, Los Angeles Department of City Planning RECOMMENDATION REPORT CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION CASE NO.: CHC-200B-3990-HCM HEARING DATE: December 18, 2008 Location: 1526-1528 EI Centro Avenue; TIME: 10:00 AM 6121-6125 W. Sunset Blvd. PLACE: City Hall, Room 1010 Council District: 13 200 N. Spring Street . Community Plan Area: Hollywood Los Angeles, CA Area Planning Commission: Central 90012 Neighborhood Council: Hollywood Studio District Legal Description: Lot 4 of TR 27285, MB 760-90/91 PROJECT: Historic-Cultural Monument Application for the CBS COLUMBIA SQUARE STUDIOS REQUEST: Declare the property a Historic-Cultural Monument APPLICANT: Hollywood Heritage Brian Curran 855 South Highland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90290 OWNER: Apollo Real Estate Advisors 11777 San Vicente, Suite 550 Los Angeles, CA 90049 RECOMMENDATION That the Cultural Heritage Commission: 1. Declare the property a Historic-Cultural Monument per Los Angeles Administrative Code Chapter 9, Division 22, Article 1, Section 22.171.7 2. Adopt the report findings. S. GAIL GOLDBERG, AICP Direc r of Planning en Bernstein, AICP, Manager Office of Historic Resources Edgar Garcia, Prese Ion Planner Office of Historic Resources Attachments: September 9, 2008 Historic-Cultural Monument Application ZIMAS Report l ~;~'>/f;.:J1~.J 6121-6125 Sunset Blvd. CHC-2008-3990-HCM Page 2 of4 FINDINGS 1. The building "embodies the distinguishing characteristics of. an architectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style or method of construction".as an example of lnternatlonal Style architecture, 2. The building is associated with a master builder, designer, or architect, as a work by the architect William Lescaze. 3. The property reflects "the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community" for its association with the development of radio and television broadcasting in Hollywood. 4. The property is identified with historic personages, with several prominent figures of the entertainment industry of Hollywood. CRITERIA The criterion is the Cultural Heritage Ordinance which defines a historical or cultural monument as any site (including significant trees or other plant life located thereon) building or structure of particular historic or cultural significance to the City of Los Angeles, such as historic structures or sites in which the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community is reflected or exemplified, or which are identified with historic personages or with important events in the main currents of national, State or local history or which embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style or method of construction, or a notable work of a master builder, designer or architect whose individual genius influenced his age. SUMMARY Built in 1938 and located at 6121-6125 Sunset Boulevard in the central Hollywood area, this is a complex of five .interconnected buildings arranged around a central plaza exhibiting character- defining features of the International Style. The central plaza is anchored by a six-story office building, a three-story building facing the plaza, and an adjacent two-story studio building . constructed in 1949. All buildings are flat-roofed and constructed of smooth unornamented concrete wall surfaces. The ground floor of the office tower is recessed and contains pilotis-style colonnade of seven rounded columns. The upper four floors have uninterrupted bands of horizontal windows with metal mullions continuing perpendicular onto the front elevation. The west elevation contains an additional band of horizontal and clerestory windows on the third to sixth floors and porthole windows. The fourth and fifth floors have a large projecting tab facing Sunset Blvd. that formerly held oversized letters spelling "CBS: The upper sixth story is recessed from the front and east elevations and has an interrupted band of glass brick on the corner of the front and west elevation. Adjacent to the tower along Sunset Blvd. is a one-story building with a solid flat surface lined with billboards. The two-story building adjacent to the central plaza also contains a pilotis-style colonnade of six slender rounded columns with an uninterrupted ribbon of windows on the upper floor. Recessed behind the columns is a shade screen consisting of horizontal strips of metal running the length of the facade. Recessed floor to ceiling casement windows line the building and are rounded at the corner of the building. The front-facing three- story building is mostly obscured by vegetation. The plaza space is closed off by fencing. 6121-6125 Sunset Blvd. CHC-2008-3990-HCM Page 3 of4 The subject building complex was designed by architect William Lescaze. A pioneering architect of the International Style, Lescaze was responsible for the design of the landmark Philadelphia Saving Fund Society Bank Society Bank and Office, known as the PSFS Building (1929-33), regarded as the first International Style skyscraper. This building was featured in the ground- breaking 1932 International Exhibition of Modern Architecture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City which effectively coined the term "International Style." The subject building complex was built as the west coast headquarters of the Central Broadcasting System (CBS), a national radio network established in 1928 by William S. Paley. Its inauguration ceremony was held on April 2ih, 1937. Housing KNX Radio, the subject site hosted radio programming with such notable figures as Eddie Cantor, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Gene Autry. In 1949, the complex was expanded for television production and hosted shows with figures such as Jack Benny, Red Skelton, George Bums and Grace Allen, and Johnny Carson. In 1951, the pilot for "I Love Lucy' was filmed in the studios. The subject buildings were also used as recording studios for such artists as Bob Dylan and Barbara Streisand. The local CBS affiliate, KCBS-TV, and later KCAL-TV, also operated out of the studios. In 2007, the subject property ceased operations as a broadcast facility. Later alterations to the subject property include the 1949 addition of the television studios, removal of original signage, covering of ground floor windows, and the enclosing of the plaza space with fencing. DISCUSSION The CBS Columbia Square Studios building property successfully meets four of the specified Historic-Cultural Monument criteria: 1) "embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style or method of construction," 2) reflects "the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community," 3) is associated with a master builder, designer, or architect, and 4) is associated with a historic personage. As a building designed in the International Style by a noteworthy