Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study facts for kids
| Location | 1313 Vine Street, Los Angeles, California |
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The Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study is a very important building in Hollywood, California. It's one of three places in Los Angeles used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars! The building is at 1313 Vine Street. It has a long and interesting history. It's the oldest building in Hollywood that was built especially for television. Inside, there's a theater called the Linwood Dunn Theater, which has 286 seats. Many public events happen here all year. The building also holds different parts of the Academy, like the Academy Film Archive. This archive keeps old movies safe.
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The Pickford Center's Story
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started collecting films and papers a long time ago. This was right after the first Oscar ceremony in 1929. Members of the Academy began giving their old movie materials to the organization. In 1948, a group of Academy members decided to collect all films that had won or been nominated for an Oscar. They also wanted to collect many other important movies. By 1994, this became an official rule for the Academy. All these films are now kept safe at the Archive.
Moving to Vine Street
At first, the Academy's film collection was kept at the Margaret Herrick Library. But in 2002, the collection moved to the Vine Street building. This was when the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study officially opened. The building itself was built in 1948. It was first used as a studio for radio and television shows. It's the oldest studio building still standing in Los Angeles!
It was first called the Don Lee Mutual Broadcasting Building. It opened on August 18, 1948. Over the years, different companies owned it, like CBS and ABC. Many famous TV shows were filmed there. These included The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and Barney Miller.
A New Name and Purpose
The Academy bought the building in 2000. After some big changes, it was renamed in 2002. It was named after Mary Pickford, who was a very famous actress. She was also one of the people who helped start the Academy.
The building was updated to keep films safe. It got special rooms with controlled temperatures. This helps protect old movies from damage. It also got a modern fire safety system. The new Linwood Dunn Theater was also added. It's named after a pioneer in visual effects. This theater is used for public events and for showing movies to Academy members. These are movies that might win an Oscar! The building also has offices for other Academy programs. These include the Student Academy Awards and the Academy Gold internship program.
What Happens at the Pickford Center Today?
Today, the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study is home to the Academy Film Archive. This archive is huge! It holds over 230,000 items. This makes it one of the biggest and most varied movie collections in the world. The Archive keeps every film that has won an Oscar for Best Picture or Best Documentary. It also has many other films nominated for Oscars.
Famous Filmmakers' Collections
The Archive also keeps the personal collections of many famous filmmakers. These include people like Tacita Dean, Cecil B. DeMille, Barbara Hammer, Alfred Hitchcock, Jim Jarmusch, Penelope Spheeris, George Stevens, Gus Van Sant, and Fred Zinnemann. Their collections might include old film reels, scripts, or other important items.
Role in the Oscars
The Pickford Center is a key part of the Academy's work. It helps with research and keeping old movies safe. It also plays an important role before every Academy Awards ceremony. It helps make sure everything is ready for the big night!
