Few people are aware that the current Fox lot in Los Angeles is actually the third lot to be occupied by the company in the city. When William Fox expanded his film production to the West Coast from New York, he took over the former Selig Studio at 1845 Glendale Blvd. in Edendale (which is in the Silver Lake district of L.A.). Soon, however, that small lot was inadequate for the quickly expanding Fox Film Corporation, so land was purchased at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue in the heart of Hollywood.
Two parcels were eventually purchased on the southwest and southeast corners of the intersection, known appropriately as the “West Lot” and “East Lot.” The majority of Fox’s silent films were made here. When the new stages built for sound at “Movietone City” (the original name of the current lot) opened in 1928, most of the major productions were filmed there. The “Western Avenue” studio continued to be used for “B” movies headed up by producer Sol Wurtzel. Many of the Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, Jones Family and Jane Withers pictures were made here.
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The Fox Archives is mandated to collect, catalog, preserve and make accessible the following assets of the 20th Century Fox studios: props, set decoration, photographs, art department and publicity materials from our film and television productions, and from the 20th Century Fox studio itself. We work primarily with internal Fox groups but also from time to time with outside organizations such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
