Today
KNX moved into new studios in the Miracle Mile neighborhood on L.A.'s Wilshire Boulevard which it shares with CBS Radio stations KFWB, KTWV, and KRTH. KNX, the last radio station to operate in Hollywood, moved after 67 years of operation at the Square just after 11:00 p.m. on August 12, 2005 following a farewell broadcast from its Columbia Square studios. On April 21, 2007, KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV left the building and moved their operations to the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, thus ending Columbia Square's status as a broadcast facility, one of a very few remaining in Hollywood.
The Square fell into disrepair during the years in which Laurence Tisch was at the helm of CBS, and asbestos problems have been cited as a reason to demolish the broadcasting venue. Columbia Square was acquired for $15 million by Sungow Corp in 2003. In August 2006, the property was acquired by Las Vegas-based developer Molasky Pacific LLC, for $66 million. It plans to redevelop the 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m2) complex to continue to attract entertainment industry tenants. It is considering options that would include adding some residential units to the office and broadcasting facility. The project is valued at $850-million and is the largest development project in Hollywood, California. Developers plan a major mixed-use project that will take up an entire city block and restore the 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m2) historic CBS building as creative office space. Other proposed elements include a 380,000-square-foot (35,000 m2) office tower, 400 housing units, 12,200 square feet (1,130 m2) of retail and a 125-room boutique style hotel. Groundbreaking is hoped for 2009.
Helmi Hisserich, regional administrator for the City of Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency, says redevelopment of Columbia Square will provide new housing, office and entertainment uses “while preserving the key historical elements of the property.”
In the fall of 2007, the location was chosen for the site of MTV's Real World: Hollywood, which is a Viacom owned show. (Viacom owned CBS until 2006, when the companies split in two, but National Amusements is still owner of the two firms.)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Los Angeles Conservancy have been actively engaged in efforts to preserve the Hollywood landmark.
Read more about this topic: CBS Columbia Square
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