Does anyone have any info or photos about the very old Hollywood building at 1518 (or 1520) Cahuenga? It's near the northeast corner of Cahuenga and Sunset. I have a little personal experience with this building, and suspect that this is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Hollywood. I was told that it dates back to about 1880, which is hard to believe, but I really have no idea.
In the mid 1980's this building housed a small recording studio called Bijou, that had me in at times to do tech work. The studio was on the left (the north side) at street level and was done in nautical decor. There was a lounge and hang out spaces upstairs. I'm straining here to remember more about the building, but I believe that behind the studio was the "remains" of an auto repair place, maybe with a wood or dirt floor in some areas.
The front of the building was very striking, with a lot of elaborate architectural details and a what looked like a marquee. It looked very old, as do many buildings on Cahuenga and Wilcox, between Sunset and Franklin.
The south wall is exposed brick and faces a the south east corner of Cahuenga and Sunset. In the 80's it was painted with "Hollywood Multigraphic Service" (not visible now). The sign faced a Texaco station, now a Jack In The Box. Across the street was the famous show biz hangout Martonis (now gone), and Chan Dara, a popular Thai restaurant.
I have a friend with a space in this building and I called him today. He said that during recent renovations, the owner went to the city and saw old documentation which showed that the place was built in 1880 and was originally a granary, later a Chinese laundry and a theater. And apparently, a print shop too.
The address is either 1520 or 1518. The address in my records was 1520 but (oddly) that address is now used by the building to the north, which recently got a big renovation.
There are some glimpses of this building on hollywoodphotographs.com in the Cahuenga section, but no clear old images.
Cahuenga was an important street in Hollywood. It led to the Cahuenga Pass and the San Fernando Valley, to the northwest.
Anyhoo - does anyone have an old photo, or any further info on this neat old building? I'd love to learn more about it.
Modern view, shot today by me:
