DECISION NO PICNIC FOR YOGI; COMMISSIONERS SAY SMART BEAR'S LAIR LACKS SPECIAL FLAIR.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer The Hanna-Barbera Studio - known worldwide for cartoon characters including the Flintstones and Yogi Bear Yogi Bear character with insatiable appetite; always stealing picnic baskets from visitors to Jellystone Park. [Am. Comics: Misc.; TV: Terrace, II, 448–449] See : Gluttony - is not smarter than the average building, architecturally speaking. At least that's the judgment of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Cultural Heritage Commission, which voted Wednesday to reject a request by preservationists to declare the two-story office building complex in Studio City a historical-cultural monument. The Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is the preeminent historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. argued the Studio City building deserved to be preserved because it is an important piece of the city's cultural history, both for the characters created there and its architectural style. ``The Hanna-Barbera Studio is inextricably in·ex·tri·ca·ble adj. 1. a. So intricate or entangled as to make escape impossible: an inextricable maze; an inextricable web of deceit. b. part of American popular culture,'' the conservancy's Barbara Hoff Delvac told the commission, noting that Hanna-Barbera created such beloved cartoon characters as the Jetsons, Johnny Quest, Scooby Doo and that smarter-than-average bear, Yogi yo·gi n. pl. yo·gis One who practices yoga. [Hindi yog . While the commissioners acknowledged that the Cahuenga Boulevard studio played an important role in popular culture, they concluded the 1962 structure, described as having a modernist style of architecture, is far from special. ``I must confess, I am not terribly impressed with the architectural value of the building at this point,'' said Commissioner Thomas Hunter Thomas Hunter is the name of:
The decision paves the way for the 35-year-old studio complex at 3400 Cahuenga Blvd. to be sold by Time Warner to Universal Studios, which some preservations fear will lead to the facility's eventual demolition. Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . has announced plans to move the Hanna-Barbera animators into an office building in Sherman Oaks to make way for the sale. One source at Universal Studios said the immediate plan for the Hanna-Barbera property is to use it for office space, but the source declined to say whether demolition might be a long-term option as Universal Studios prepares for a major expansion. Time Warner had opposed the monument designation because of fear it would put a damper damp·er n. 1. One that deadens, restrains, or depresses: Rain put a damper on our picnic plans. 2. An adjustable plate, as in the flue of a furnace or stove, for controlling the draft. on the proposed sale. Designation as a historical-cultural monument would prevent demolition for a year. ``It is disappointing,'' Delvac said about the decision, ``and it's troubling, because the commission seems to have established a trend of denying the recommendation of monument status that clearly meets the criteria if the owner is opposed.'' Animators and fans said Los Angeles was turning its back on its legacy as the home of the television animation industry. Rita Street of the International Animated Film Society described her fond memories of watching Yogi Bear cartoons as a child with her father. ``It is essential that this building be saved,'' she said. Warner Bros. officials claimed that Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound Huckleberry "Huck" Hound is a fictional cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera, and the star of the late 1950s animated series The Huckleberry Hound Show, Hanna-Barbera's second series made for television after The Ruff & Reddy Show. were actually created at an earlier Hanna-Barbera Studio in Hollywood. Commissioner Andrew Cohen Andrew Cohen (or its diminutive form, Andy Cohen) may refer to: (listed in ascending order of year of birth)
Other architects contacted by the Daily News also questioned the architectural significance of the studio. ``It's very much L.A.,'' said architect Raphael Franco, whose office is down the street in Studio City. ``It's nondescript non·de·script adj. Lacking distinctive qualities; having no individual character or form: "This expression gave temporary meaning to a set of features otherwise nondescript" . It's another office building. It doesn't relate to the street in any particular way that says, `We're making a statement.' '' But Fred Siebert, a former executive at the studio, said the building symbolically represents famous animation. ``If not technically, then emotionally, the architecture of that building is as significant as anything else in Los Angeles,'' Siebert told the commission. Later, Siebert said he was disappointed but not surprised by the commission's decision. ``The clash between culture and commerce turns out this way,'' he said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO A city panel says the Hanna-Barbera Studio is architecturally blah. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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