SKYLINE AWARD 1995

Paramount Studios
Renovation, Redevelopment, Refurbishment and Renewal

By the 1970s, Paramount Studios needed a physical upgrade to remain competitive in the film business. The studio had been in Hollywood since the 1920s. Its neighborhood was also crumbling, in part due to suburbanization but also the design of streets around Paramount created a pervious boundary that made the limits of the studio unclear. Instead of leaving Hollywood for a new location, Earl Lestz, President of the Paramount Studios Group initiated a program to redesign the "front door" of the studio along Melrose Avenue, completely upgrade electrical service to the lot, provide much-needed structured parking and contribute funding an staff time to improve the neighborhood around the studio. In a move much appreciated by the neighbors, the designers developed the parking structures with skins appearing to be multi-family residential buildings, preserving the residential character of the neighboring areas.

The renewal of the Paramount Studios was followed by work on the Sunset Gower Studios and it has continued with major revival now underway in Hollywood. On May 24, the 1995 Skyline Award was presented to Earl Lestz, President of the Paramount Studios Group at Paramount Studios.