Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
Metro's West Coast Studios, Hollywood Califormia. Mr. Joseph W. Engel, General Manager. circa.1920

from "Who's Who in Hollywood" copyright 1920
 To be honest, I don't know what streets we're looking at here. (or which direction we're looking)
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This studio covered four blocks (and a bit), not all the same size. The eastern boundary was Lillian Way from Eleanor south to Waring.
The western boundary was Cahuenga, again from Eleanor south to Waring EXCEPT between Romaine and Willoughby,
where it bumped out to Cole on the west, making a double-wide block there. Also, the top of the block bound by Willoughby/Waring, Cole/Cahuenga was used.
Red Studios "History" web page is
here
Metro Studios Wiki page is
here
Metro Studios, Eleanor (foreground) at Lillian Way (left)
water and power

This block was later abandoned as the studio retreated down to a single block.
(Notice the school in the background)
Same bungalow. 1931, the year it was demolished. Notice the change in the stage behind the bungalow.
It went from rag-top to hard-top:
hollywoodphotographs
This is the grand Administration Building from your photo:
hollywoodphotographs

Notice the Metro sign, painted on the fence, at Romaine and Cahuenga, to the left (the fence is in your photo too). This will later be the site of a second, architecturally matching, administration building
(see
third from last photo below and also the shot immediately below)
Romaine looking east (mid-block, between Cole and Cahuenga) with the 2nd Admin Building in place:
hollywoodphotographs
Red Studios today:
gsv
In this aerial Metro is shown to cover 4+ blocks , two with sound stages and two backlots:
hollywoodphotographs

The two neo-Georgian-style administration buildings face on Romaine between Lillian Way and Cole,
with Cahuenga running between them n/s. The second, southern backlot (Lot #3) runs between Cahuenga
and Lillian Way, with Willoughby on the north and Waring on the south (I don't know if Waring has actually
been graded through yet, hard to tell, the image is too small). It's on the same general site as the current
Red Studio.
The Melrose/Gower corner of RKO is in the upper, left corner.
The Vine Street School has been rebuilt.
So, I think
your photo is looking slightly NE. Romaine runs diagonally through the left half of the photo
(lower left to near-upper right), continuing into the right side of the photo.
Willoughby runs diagonally across the lower , right corner of the right side of your photo.
The horizontal (north/south) streets, from the top, are El Centro, Vine, Lillian Way, Cahuenga and Cole.
The Eleanor/Romaine/Cahuenga/Lillian Way block (with the famous "Metro Studios"-signed bungalow, later abandoned)
appears in the left side of your photo (since you asked).
The big sound stage on that block still only has a muslin roof in your photo. It will later get a "barn" roof.
The double-wide block (Romaine/Willoughby/Lillian Way/Cole) bridges both halves of your photo.
The Vine Street School (built as the Colegrove School) is to the lower left of Engel's cameo.
The second, southern, backlot, now Red Studios, does not appear in your photo, except for a tiny corner on the right margin.
(maybe, if you agree, you'll mark up a copy of the photo for me.
I don't know how to do that)
The studio carpenters did "get busy"
e_r. A view of the standing sets on the backlot, over the roof of the rebuilt Vine Street School, 1928:
uscdl (detail)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
And thanks for deciphering the word Gunby on that old sepia photograph, which of course, led to Flyingwedge finding the location.
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I would in no way assume that.
FW has
powers
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