Los Angeles Center Studios

(Redirected from Unocal Building)

Los Angeles Center Studios, is a 20-acre film production studio located in the City West neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.[1]

Los Angeles Center Studios
Los Angeles Center Studios is located in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Center Studios
Location within Los Angeles
Former namesUnion Oil Center
General information
Address450 South Bixel Street
Los Angeles, California
90017
Coordinates34°03′19″N 118°15′40″W / 34.055393°N 118.26109°W / 34.055393; -118.26109
Groundbreaking1955
CompletedApril 1958
Design and construction
Architect(s)William Pereira
Architecture firmPereira & Luckman
Main contractorDel E. Webb Construction Company

History

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The main building opened in April 1958 as the Union Oil Center and served as the headquarters of Union Oil Company of California.[2][3] The tower was designed by architect William Pereira. In 1996, Union Oil vacated the premises.

After the construction of six sound stages and renovation of the Unocal building, the studio opened in 1999. The 20-acre complex includes six film production sound stages, ten buildings, three streets and a private park.[2] The main gate is located at 450 South Bixel Street.[4]

In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that with Dreamgirls and Numb3rs filming at the studio, the city's decades-old vision for City West was finally being fulfilled.[1] The studio's distinctive main building and bridge appear as exterior shots of the Los Angeles FBI office in the TV series Numb3rs.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Mia DiMassa, Cara (March 15, 2006). "City West Catches Up With the Vision". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 October 2023. How the studios went from an abandoned corporate headquarters to a flourishing center of industry is a dramatic example of a transformation unfolding on the west side of Harbor Freeway. The wave of gentrification that started in the rest of downtown in the late 1990s has finally reached the area known as City West.
  2. ^ a b "City West - Los Angeles Center Studios". DowntownLA.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023. Los Angeles Center Studios is a multipurpose facility that includes the former Unocal Center building (opened as Union Oil Center in April 1958) and the surrounding area. In 1999, construction on the six large sound stages and renovation of the Unocal headquarters was complete. The new 20-acre entertainment campus includes 10 buildings and 3 streets. Situated on the west side of the Harbor Freeway, at 5th and Bixel streets, the studio has the amenities of a full-scale Hollywood studio, including office space, a commissary, fitness center, a 350-seat theater, car wash, electric car charging stations, and a private park.
  3. ^ "Los Angeles Center Studios". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. ^ "About Us". Los Angeles Center Studios. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  5. ^ ""Numb3rs" (2005) - Filming locations". Us.imdb.com. May 1, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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