The Culver Studios formerly had 13 sound stages, on-site offices, a screening theatre, fitness facility, medical services, and parking.
Site development Throughout its history, Culver Studios continued to undergo numerous expansions and adaptations to meet the changing needs of the movie industry. The major works took place between 1918 and 1946, during the tenures of
Thomas H. Ince,
Cecil B. DeMille,
RKO Pictures, and
David O. Selznick.
Ince built the original studio, now known as the Culver Studios, on a 14-acre site. When the lot was bought by
Cecil B. DeMille in 1925, large scale site renovations began. He reoriented the existing stages and moved numerous office bungalows and production service buildings. To match production needs, Stage 2 (now known as Stages 2/3/4), four new double-barrelled projection rooms, and seven new cutting rooms were added to the studio site. In 1930, under the ownership of
Pathé Exchange, the area was again renovated and redesigned. The arrival of talking pictures brought a massive new growth to Hollywood and an increased demand for movies.
RKO-Pathé Studios built two large stage facilities (stages 7/8/9 and 11/12/14) and several production service buildings. It was not until
David O. Selznick's time at the helm, from 1935 to 1946, that the studios became fully built out and included new on-site bungalows. A final stage facility was built (stages 15/16) and the main studio site was developed to closely resemble the current layout. In late 2018, Hackman Capital Partners broke ground on a $620-million expansion of the Culver Studios, which has become the new home of
Amazon Studios. The expansion project added 413,000 square feet of rentable space to the 14-acre campus - increasing its total footprint to more than 720,000 square feet. Plans included two parking structures, with total accommodations for 1,930 vehicles.
Amazon announced its move to the Culver Studios in late 2017. In addition, it leased the entirety of the adjacent Culver Steps development, also being built by Hackman Capital Partners. The combined 600,000 square feet of space houses
Amazon subsidiaries
Amazon MGM Studios,
IMDb, and
Amazon Prime Video.
Mansion House The picturesque mansion house is the centerpiece of the Culver Studios lot and has landmark status. It is a classic example of 1920s Colonial Revival architecture and was the first building to go up on the site shortly after Thomas H. Ince's acquisition of the land in 1918. Modeled after George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Virginia, it serves as the main administrative building on the lot. Famous producers including Ince, Cecil B. DeMille, and David O. Selznick once had offices there. One long corridor runs the length of the 15,000 square foot structure, which has eight two-story high grand white columns. The facade looks out onto a manicured lawn. There is a common misconception that the mansion house was used as the site of
Tara, the home of Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone With the Wind. The building was seen in the film credits but Tara was a separate building constructed on the
Forty Acres backlot by art director
Lyle Wheeler, where the scene depicting the burning of Atlanta was filmed.
Bungalows At the southern end of Culver Studios sat a collection of four bungalows, dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. They were occupied by a host of celebrated writers and actors over the years and are now considered locally significant structures.
Alfred Hitchcock used one of the one-story buildings as his office for years. Another bungalow was built in 1935 and used as a residential space for Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh during filming of
Gone With the Wind. Other bungalows have been connected to
Olivia de Havilland,
Lucille Ball,
Gloria Swanson and
Orson Welles. As part of the expansion project undertaken by Hackman Capital Partners, the bungalows were moved to the front of the lot, behind the mansion house. They are used as production spaces and offices for writers, producers, production staff, and talent.
Cecil B. DeMille Theater Built by producer Cecil B. DeMille in 1927 when he owned the studio, the theater is adjacent to the mansion house. It was dedicated to DeMille in 1984 and available for special screenings, fundraisers, and production daily viewings. The theater has 70 seats, a 24 ft x 11 ft screen, and digital and 35mm projectors.
Back Forty As the Culver Studios grew in size and stature, a backlot was used to build full-scale outdoor sets. The Back Forty, also known as
Forty Acres, sat on a triangular plot of land a few blocks from the main lot. It was initially leased from landowner Harry Culver during Cecil B. DeMille's tenure and was continuously used to build the plantation Tara, the Atlanta Depot, and other Atlanta buildings in
Gone With the Wind. The Back Forty also provided the backdrop for several television shows broadcast during the 1960s, including ''
Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, and Bonanza''. The land is no longer connected to the Culver Studios and currently serves as an office park. ==Productions==