Take a look around the planned expansion at historic Culver Studios

Storied film production center Culver Studios is in store for a major update and new renderings from Gensler, the firm designing the project, show what the redeveloped complex may look like.

Established in 1918, the studio’s sets and soundstages have provided a backdrop for such classic films as Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, and the original King Kong. Now, the 14-acre campus at the edge of Downtown Culver City is getting a shakeup that will demolish or relocate several older structures and add more than 400,000 square feet of new construction, including offices, media stages, and a pair of parking structures.

As can be seen in the renderings (first spotted by Urbanize LA), the studio’s oldest and most recognizable building—a Colonial-style mansion modeled after George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon—won’t be going anywhere. The landscaping in front of the structure will also be redone to be more in keeping with the original design.

A group of bungalows built in the 1920s and ’30s will also be kept intact, though they’ve been moved to be closer to the mansion.

Rendering courtesy Gensler

In 2015, Los Angeles-based real estate firm Hackman Capital purchased the studio for $85 million with plans to pursue the modernization project already in the works. According to CEO Michael Hackman, the changes will help the studio attract “new media tenants.”

Earlier this year, rumors swirled that Amazon was considering moving its media growing production company into the mansion. In September, the Financial Times reported that Apple was also interested in leasing space at the historic studio.

If approved, the studio expansion project is expected to get underway next year, with work finishing up in 2020.

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