Everything Hollywood Lost In The Fires

As smoke from the Palisades and Altadena fires lingered over Los Angeles last week, FilmLA President Paul Audley measured the disaster’s toll on the city’s film industry. “Many who participate in the region’s entertainment economy are directly affected by this tragedy; and many places beloved by nationwide audiences may never return to the screen.“ The blazes, driven by howling Santa Ana winds, ripped through tens of thousands of acres and decimated priceless historic buildings that once hosted dozens of beloved movies and shows. While local production on current projects has mostly resumed, filming permit applications have dipped dramatically as ancillary trades wobble and irreplaceable film sites sit damaged and destroyed.

The fires are the latest bugaboo for California’s flagging film industry. An ongoing decline in filming days within the City of Angels, fueled by last year’s strikes, has already displaced crew members. California’s abysmal financial incentives are driving “runaway productions” to more generous locales. A proposed expansion of the Film and Television Tax Credit Program, which the state should decide this month, would double its annual funding to attract projects amidst growing out-of-state competition. 

There is hope amongst the ashes: the L.A. Times reports that “location scouts, managers and set decorators are putting together a database with addresses and photos of homes in the fire zones that they’ve scouted over the years to provide homeowners with documentation for insurance claims.” But the heartbreaking loss of priceless Los Angeles film landmarks, many of which are peerless architectural treasures on the National Historic Register, is another bomb crater on Hollywood’s production landscape. 

Will Rogers State Historic Park and Ranch House 

The century-old home of the comedian sat 180 acres of rolling oak-dotted hills in the Palisades and hosted scenes for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Westworld, and Funny Lady.

Topanga Ranch Motel

The bungalow-style motel that began as an actual campground and appeared in decades of movies and TV shows including Mannix and Remington Steele lost all 32 historic cottages – just after California State Parks decided to restore the property last year. 

‘Hacks’ mansion

The sprawling Spanish colonial revival mansion in Altadena that doubled as Deborah Vance’s “side mansion” in HBO’s comedy series Hacks burned down in the Eaton Fire.

William Davies Memorial Building at Farnsworth Park

Built during the Great Depression under the Works Progress Act, the rustic Craftsman lodge sat in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains and featured an outdoor amphitheater with a view of the Los Angeles skyline. They used its park to film American Pie 2 and Apple TV series Shrinking.

Altadena Town & Country Club

The palms, hedges and Italian cypress that framed this elegant retro landmark for more than a hundred years burned along with its historic clubhouse featured in Mad Men, Starsky & Hutch and The Wonder Years.

Palisades Charter High School

The school that hosted scenes from Carrie, Modern Family and Lindsay Lohan body-swap bop Freaky Friday suffered heavy damage from the fire, with over a third of the campus scorched in the blaze.

Andrew McNally House

It was a painful loss: after undergoing a three-year restoration, the 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion built for the Rand McNally publishing magnate burned in the Eaton fire. The House’s famous rounded turret backdropped scenes from Entourage and Hacks.

San Onofre Estate 

This one feels a little easier to mourn: people called the $83 million, 18-bedroom “avant garde” mansion built in 2020 and owned by a tech CEO  the most expensive home in the Palisades. It boasted an infinity pool, private driveway and views of the city–showcased in season 4 of HBO’s Succession.

Polsa Rosa Ranch

The 750-acre film location near Santa Clara burned in the Lidia Fire, with all its old town buildings scorched. The property’s river, canyon and chaparral made it an ideal spot to film bangers like Sons of Anarchy, Titanic, Fast and Furious 4, The Hangover, Pineapple Express and Windtalkers.

Crank House

The stately 1882 Victorian mansion is on the Historic Register as part of Altadena’s early settlement, and served as Miss Trunchbull’s derelict house in Matilda. The Crank House also appeared in Hocus Pocus, Scream 2, Catch Me If You Can. 

Rubio House

Named after the tree-shaded Altadena street it sat on, the sprawling colonial home’s dormer windows, shady lawns and brick portico created a comforting, idealized upper-middle-class home for dozens of movies and TV series including 7th Heaven, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, This Is Us, The Mentalist, NCIS, Desperate Housewives and Cheaper by the Dozen.