A Trip to
KACE/KRTO Hollywood
and the Broadway Building
Photos and Descriptions by Marvin Collins
(Posted by Steve Blodgett)

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The center building is the old Broadway Hollywood Department
store building that later housed various offices including the studio
for KACE (now KRCD) and KRTO (now KRCV).
The old sign for the Broadway Hollywood
Department store is still in place.
 

Another view of the old Broadway Hollywood sign along with the
old Hotel Plaza sign.  The Hotel Plaza has been converted to
apartments and is no longer a hotel.
I had to make a business visit to the new studio location for
KACE/KRTO.  I found the cheapest parking to be a lot at the
new Metrolink subway station at Hollywood and Vine.  After
parking I decided to take a look at the
new underground subway station.

The lobby area of the underground Metrolink station at
Hollywood and Vine.  The projectors, now lobby decorations,
were donated by Paramount Studios.

The railing and wall in the Metrolink station at Hollywood
and Vine.  Those round objects are 35 mm film reels, an
appropriate decoration.

 

A close up view of the wall showing the 35 mm film reels
used as wall decoration.
A Metrolink subway car arrives at the
Hollywood and Vine station.
 
The lower set of escalators that descend to the lobby
level of the Metrolink subway station at Hollywood and Vine.
A plaque with a brief history of the origin of Hollywood. 
 The plaque is located on the corner of the old Broadway
 Hollywood building at Hollywood and Vine.

The upper escalators at the entrance to the Metrolink
station at Hollywood and Vine.  Note the top of the
Capital Records building in the background.

Inside the Broadway Hollywood building Greg Strickland
took me behind a walled off area where this sign
describing the mezzanine is still visible.

 
Seeing these old escalators behind the walled off area
was nostalgic for me because I remember riding them
as a child when I had to go shopping with my mother in
the early to mid nineteen forties.
It was probably close to 60 years ago when I last had
a ride on these escalators.
I was amazed to find them still in place and looking
as though they would operate if someone
would turn them on.

A view from the top of the Broadway Hollywood building
with the Capital Records building in the center.

 

Looking West along Hollywood Boulevard (left photos),
the the two towers on the right side of the street are
 the old KFWB towers.
 
Looking toward Mount Wilson
The Taft building at Hollywood and Vine.  In the mid to
late forties I often rode the red Pacific Electric street cars
along Hollywood Boulevard to Vine Street to this building
for Orthodontic appointments.  I remember an electric
multi light bulb sign that wrapped around the corner of the
building that gave scrolling news.  The sign was only in
operation for a short time.  But the mounting holes for the
sign are still visible if you know where to look.

The top of the Capital Records building as seen from
 the top of the Broadway Hollywood building.
The KFWB studio building as seen from
the top of the Broadway Hollywood building.

KACE and KRTO during construction.  The studio
was put on the air about a week after this photo was taken.
The call signs of KRTO/KACE also changed to KRCD/KRCV.
East along Hollywood Boulevard from the top
of the Broadway Hollywood building. 
The Pantages Theatre is in the center of the photo.

The Taft building, also at Hollywood and Vine.
The building still does not have central air conditioning
as evidenced by the many window air conditioning units
 that protrude from the Taft building.

 
A backside view of the old Broadway Hollywood sign
atop the Broadway Hollywood Department store building.
The outside area of the Metrolink Hollywood and Vine
subway station, located where I remember, as a child, 
going to the old Hitching Post Theatre, to see Western movies.
Admission was five cents.  With a quarter I could ride the streetcar
from our house in North Hollywood to the theatre, see a movie
and ride home again.
The outside area of the Metrolink Hollywood and Vine
subway station with the Capital Records building and the
Pantages Theatre in the background. 

The Broadway Hollywood sign atop the Broadway
 Hollywood building at Hollywood and Vine.

This view of the top and South East corner of the Broadway
Hollywood building shows the STL antennas for
KTNQ, KLVE and KSCA

Provided by: Earthsignals.com