On January 22, 1947, the first commercial TV station west of the
Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood. In
December of that year, the first Hollywood movie production was
made for TV, The Public Prosecutor. In addition, in the 1950s,
music recording studios and offices began moving into Hollywood.
Other businesses, however, continued to migrate to different parts
of Los Angeles, primarily to Burbank, California. A lot of the movie
industry remained in the area, although the district's outward
appearance changed.
The famous Capitol Records building on Vine Street just north of
Hollywood Boulevard was built in 1956. It is a recording studio not
open to the public, but its unique circular design looks like a stack
of old 45rpm vinyl records.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 and the first star
was placed in 1960 as a tribute to artists working in the
entertainment industry. Honorees receive a star based on career
and lifetime achievements in motion pictures, live theatre, radio,
television, and/or music, as well as their charitable and civic
contributions.
Progress
In 1985, the Hollywood Boulevard commercial and entertainment
district was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places
protecting important buildings and seeing to it that the significance
of Hollywood's past would always be a part of its future.
In June 1999, the long-awaited Hollywood extension of the Metro
Red Line subway opened, running from Downtown Los Angeles to
the Valley, with stops on Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue,
at Vine Street and at Highland Avenue.
The Kodak Theatre, which opened in 2001 on Hollywood Boulevard
at Highland Avenue, where the historic Hollywood Hotel once
stood, has become the new home of the Oscars.
In 2002, a number of Hollywood citizens began a campaign for the
district to secede from Los Angeles and become its own
incorporated city. Secession supporters argued that the leaders of
Los Angeles were ignoring the needs of their community. In June,
the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors placed secession
referendums for both Hollywood and the Valley on the ballots for a
"citywide election." To pass, they required the approval of a
majority of voters from all over Los Angeles. In the November
election, the referendums failed to receive the required percentage
of votes by a wide margin.
Modern day Hollywood is a diverse, vital, and active community
striving to preserve the elegant buildings from its past.
