The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Pickford Center on Vine Street

Have you ever drove by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Pickford Center on Vine Street and wondered what it is?

1313 Vine is now home to The Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, one of three Los Angeles-area facilities of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,  It was named in honor of legendary silent film actress Mary Pickford one of the founding members of the Academy.

In addition to the 286-seat Linwood Dunn Theater where numerous public events are presented throughout the year, the building houses several Academy departments, including the Academy Film Archive, the Science and Technology Council, and the Grants and Nicholl Fellowship programs.

1313 Vine was originally built in 1948 as a radio and television studio facility and is the oldest surviving structure in Hollywood that was originally designed specifically with television in mind.

Early TV shows and sitcoms including Queen For A Day and I love Lucy were broadcast here when it was called the Don Lee Center

In the 1950s, CBS-owned television station KHJ (since renamed KCAL) moved into the facility.

ABC bought the building from CBS around 1967, installed GE color cameras and produced shows like ‘The Joey Bishop Show’, ‘The Dating Game’ and ‘The Newlywed Game’ from 1313 Vine Street.

In 1993 the building was bought by Aids Project Los Angeles and was known as the David Geffen building. The agency purchased the 124,000-square-foot building for $7 million with a major donation from David Geffen and tax-free municipal bonds. Here thousands of people living with AIDS found resources, food, and help with the quality of their lives.

So next time you drive by, give a second look to an iconic LA building that holds so much Hollywood history.  Remember, the more you know...XOXO ❤️