Garage Conversion Universal City, California

History

Carl Laemmle officially opened the Second Universal City (Lankershim Boulevard) on March 15, 1915, on the 230-acre (93 ha) Taylor Ranch property. At the start event, in what is now the North Hollywood area, a crowd of men and women eagerly awaited the display of the film stages, daredevil stunt pilots and Quiet film idols, as without difficulty as the movie cameras Laemmle had brought along. “See how slapstick comedies are made. See your favorite screen stars reach their work. See how we make the people giggle or cry or sit on the edge of their chairs the world over!” stated a poster touting Universal’s opening. “C’mon out! Aw, c’mon!”

Laemmle, a German immigrant, was Universal Pictures’ founder who opened his first nickelodeon in Chicago in 1906. He moved to New York City, where he soon associated half a dozen little motion picture companies to Make the movie company he called Universal Pictures.

In 1912, Laemmle briefly operated three little studios – Bison, Nestor, and Oak Crest Ranch. After a court battle with New York Motion Picture Company, control of the Bison lot was returned to the New York Motion Picture Company. The court allowed Carl Laemmle to support use of the name “Bison” as “Bison 101” for his westerns, which were filmed upon the Oak Crest property in the San Fernando Valley. The Oak Crest Ranch is where Laemmle filmed the western At Old Fort Dearborn. The Providencia Land and Water company, called “Oak Crest Ranch” in the trade papers, became the first Universal City location.

In 1913, Laemmle consolidated the Nestor studio (Hollywood) and Oak Crest ranch (Providencia) property. His first Universal City was too small, so he ordered a search for a other and larger property in the valley, a location subsequently more space. Laemmle leased Providencia ranchland in the San Fernando Valley in 1912. If it was a city, it was a haphazard one (Motion Picture World): with the support of nearly 300 movie hands and actors, Laemmle erected makeshift buildings, set taking place cameras and began churning out hundreds of one- and two-reel Quiet westerns.

Other studio chiefs called the place “Laemmle’s Folly”, mocking that the property was consequently far out of town and that Laemmle could film scenery for clear anywhere he wanted. Laemmle anxious that he had made a huge mistake, though Universal was a success because the public could observe movies instinctive made.

In the meantime, Laemmle extra a zoo to the Oak Crest Ranch (Moving Picture World ad 1913) – which was edit to visitors to generate clear advertising by word of mouth. The Rotarians of Los Angeles were one of the groups allowable to visit the Oak Crest – Universal City. (The Rotarian – Feb 1914)

The Oak Crest ranch swine too small (Scrap-it) for his larger Universal City, Laemmle bought the Lankershim Land and Water property, the 230-acre (0.93 km) Taylor Ranch for $165,000, calling it his “New Universal City”.

In 1914, operations at The Oak Ranch (Providencia Ranch) were moved to the Taylor (Lankershim) ranch. The Universal (Oak Crest) ranch zoo was moved to the Back Ranch of the Lankershim property. [Moving Picture World] The supplementary Universal City was opened for Universal staff in 1914.

Laemmle went on an eight-day whistle-stop tour from Chicago to Los Angeles the week before Universal City’s grand public opening. His promoters even sold the grand (and technically impossible) lie that Laemmle had persuaded the Secretary of the Navy to send a battleship up the Los Angeles River to ember a salvo on opening day. Easterners, they hoped, would believe everything they heard nearly California.

After World War I, Laemmle brought even more kin higher than from war-torn Europe, increasing the payroll to 70. His cheerful nepotism was immortalized in humorist Ogden Nash’s couplet: Uncle Carl Laemmle has a totally large faemmle. Carl Laemmle was blamed for creating the “star system” rather than just using anonymous actors in films.

Laemmle was annoyed to terminate studio tours in the 1920s, when talkies came along and “quiet on the set” became an absolute. He sold his sprawling entertainment empire in 1936. Before his death in 1939, at age 72, he helped bring higher than 200 German-Jewish refugees to Los Angeles.

A nephew, Max, founded the local Laemmle Theatres chain.

Universal City would not standard tourists anew until July 15, 1964, with the instigation of the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and its included Studio Tour. The adjacent few decades saying the beginning of hotels, an amphitheater, and Universal CityWalk (a faux city street and popular destination for tourists and locals).

Universal Ranch 1912

On April 30, 1912, Carl Laemmle combined the Independent Motion Picture Company in imitation of five smaller companies to form the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. After visiting his newly acquired west coast operations of Nestor Studios and Nestor Ranch, he renamed the studio “Universal Studios” and the leased Oak Crest Ranch became the first “Universal City” in the San Fernando Valley. The first Universal/Nestor Ranch (Providencia Land and Water Development Company property Oak Crest Ranch) is presently the site of Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). In 1915, Universal moved its operations at the Hollywood/Nestor studio and Universal/Nestor Ranch to its supplementary Lankershim Blvd. location back the endorsed opening of Universal City (Lankershim Blvd). In 1916, the first Universal Oak Ranch became known as the Lasky Ranch. The Hollywood studio was later leased to Christie Comedies.

Universal City – Oak Crest Ranch (1912–1914)

In 1912, Carl Laemmle toured his Pacific Coast operations. He renamed the Nestor Studio “Universal Studios” and renamed the Providencia Ranch “Universal City.” Carl Laemmle thought the Providencia Ranch Place was too little for his idea of “Universal City.” He ordered the buy of Lankershim land Water Company property. Universal City moved to a further location, the Taylor Ranch.

Lankershim Land and Water Company

They purchased lots 276, 277, 278; also a small portion of Lot 279, marked “Mary L. Carhart” (left side of the Lankershim bridge). Only 230 acres (0.9 km) of the northern share of lot 278 became the recognized studios tummy lot in 1915. The zoo and second open-air stage were constructed on the northern sections of lot 277 and 278. The mountain portions above 600 feet (180 m) were not incorporated into studio use until MCA/Universal’s master set sights on to level the hills and Make the Universal Studio Tour Center and City Walk.

Universal City Ranch (Forest Lawn) moves

Between 1914 and 1915 “Universal City” assets were moved to the Lankershim location.

Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) history since 1917

The Providencia Land and Water Development Company property was used as a location for some ahead of time films, most significantly the battle scenes in the Quiet classic very nearly the American Civil War The Birth of a Nation (1915).

In 1912, Carl Laemmle (IMP) Universal Pictures took over the assets of Nestor Studios and named this area Universal City. The photograph of this Place can be seen in Los Angeles Library archives: “A Birds Eye View of Universal City”:

Fires

More than a half-dozen major fires have impacted the Universal Studios property (and, accordingly, Universal City) during its history.