The home of George Jetson and Scooby-Doo will not be named a Los Angeles city landmark despite pleas from cartoon fans who wanted the Hanna-Barbera Productions studio protected as an irreplaceable part of entertainment and California history.
The city Cultural Heritage Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously and, members said, "reluctantly" to deny cultural-historic monument status to the Cahuenga Boulevard studio of three green and yellow buildings next to the Hollywood Freeway.
Time Warner Inc., which acquired Hanna-Barbera last year, opposed landmark status, suggesting it would kill plans to sell the three-acre property to nearby Universal Studios. Although preservationists fear otherwise, Universal says it will use the campus for offices and has no intention to demolish the buildings. Hanna-Barbera artists and producers are scheduled to move next month to Warner Bros.' offices in Sherman Oaks.
In Los Angeles, landmark designation can delay demolition for only a year. Still, commission members said they were intensely lobbied by Mayor Richard Riordan's administration to support Warner's position. "It's been unbelievable pressure all the way," said one commissioner, who requested anonymity.
The board concluded that the studio, located between Studio City and Hollywood, has cultural significance, but is not architecturally distinguished except for the decorative concrete screens that shade its street-side exterior. The colorful Jetson-like furniture in the offices and the many drawings mounted in the hallways will be moved to Sherman Oaks.
Wednesday's vote came after a 90-minute hearing during which speaker after speaker referred to childhood memories and the worldwide allure of such Hanna-Barbera television cartoons as "The Flintstones," "Yogi Bear" and "Huckleberry Hound." Landmark advocates included representatives of the cartoonists union, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Hollywood Heritage organization and former Hanna-Barbera executives.
"What building better represents 20th century L.A. than the H-B building? More than any other site I can think of, this building is our special heritage. It is the foundation of the very history of L.A.," said Kara Vallow, a former producer of the "Johnny Bravo" series.
After the hearing, she said she was not surprised by the vote given what she described as "the political climate of pro-development, anti-preservation in this city right now."
