CBS Television City Considered For Historic-Cultural Monument Status

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Television City, the CBS studio complex in the Fairfax District, could be put forward for historic-cultural monument designation.

The Los Angeles City Cultural Heritage Commission Thursday will review an application filed by the nonprofit Los Angeles Conservancy last year amid reports that the sprawling complex could be put up for sale.

The monument application must first pass through the commission and the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee before the full City Council will get a chance to vote on it.

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has voiced support for preserving the 25-acre facility, which dates back to the 1950s and has been home for many iconic shows, including "The Jack Benny Program," "The Price Is Right," "The Carol Burnett Show," and "All in the Family."

"Los Angeles should not let developers turn the historic studio complex into a mini Century City," Yaroslavsky wrote in an op-ed in The Los Angeles Times.

The staff of the Cultural Heritage Commission has recommended that the site be named a monument for several reasons, including that it found it is a notable work of master architects William Pereira and Charles Luckman. Staff also found the site noteworthy for its numerous connections to important historical figures, its association with the television industry and its significant role in the economic development of Los Angeles.

Broadcasting pioneer William S. Paley built Television City as the first large-scale facility designed specifically for television production. But CBS has moved most of its operations to the CBS Studio Center in Studio City and is now more of a landlord at Television City, renting out most of the available studios to non-CBS shows such as HBO's "Real Tim With Bill Maher" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."

Some programs that air on CBS still shoot there, including "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," but only one program owned by CBS, "The Late, Late Show With James Corden," shoots at Television City, often performing his regular "Crosswalk Musical" right alongside the complex.

The Times reported in September that real estate developers have been eyeing the complex, which could sell for as much as $900 million. A historic-cultural monument designation by the city would halt any plans to raze the facility for at least a year while alternative preservation methods are considered.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)