Seven months since we last checked in, concrete continues to rise for a new studio complex from Bardas Investment Group and Bain Capital Real Estate in Hollywood.

Aerial view looking southeastHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography

The Echelon Studios Hollywood project, now taking shape on a full city block at 5601 W. Santa Monica Boulevard, replaces a site long occupied by a shuttered Sears, and once slated for a new-realized residential development. The completed project would feature more than 500,000 square feet of space, including: 

  • 110,000 square feet of production studios and support space;
  • more than 388,000 square feet of offices;
  • over 12,300 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space; and
  • parking for 981 vehicles in two subterranean levels.

View of Echelon Studios from Virginia Avenue looking southeast toward Downtown Los AngelesBob Hale / Rios

Rios is designing the project, which is anchored along its two Santa Monica Boulevard corners by six-story office buildings, with soundstages located between. Heights scale down toward  Virginia Avenue to the north, where buildings are shown in renderings with sloped rooflines and terrace decks.

Bain Capital and Bardas formed their joint venture in 2019, and have announced plans for more than 1 million square feet of new studio developments. The joint venture is also slated to build new offices and soundstages at the Television Center complex in Hollywood.

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