Is the Historic KCET Lot on the Block?

Echo Park Patch recently ran a piece about the

The piece mentioned Vitagraph (today's Prospect Studios), but not Monogram Pictures, which became Allied Artists.

Located just west of Hyperion Avenue on Sunset Boulevard, the site today is part of the lot for former PBS-affiliate KCET.

Last year KCET cut its ties with the national programming service and has been going it alone, culling shows from independent and international sources.

Ratings have plummetted, along with donations.

Many expected news along the lines of the news we got today from the Los Angeles Times: KCET is reportedly in talks with the Church of Scientology to sell the property and move to smaller offices.

The article mentions that the assessed value of the lot is just over $14 million dollars.

Urban studios in L.A. are hot properties.

The original Warner Brothers studio in Hollywood went for $125 million dollars in 2008.  Sunset Gower Studios--originally Columbia Pictures--went for $200 million in 2007.

Scientology, of course, already owns a fair amount of property in the city, including the site at Sunset Boulevard and L. Ron Hubbard Way, not far from KCET.

Makes you wonder what the early Edendale studios would be selling for if they survived today.

For full details, read the LA Times piece here.