What happened to the Studio City Sportsmen’s Lodge on Ventura Boulevard? It became a mixed use community known as The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge. Here is the story.
Operating since the 1880’s under various names, the Studio City Sportsmen’s Lodge was one of those San Fernando Valley throwbacks that dot the crisscrossing boulevards from Glendale to Chatsworth. The lodge was located near Ventura Blvd. and Coldwater Canyon Ave., an intersection that is home to more than one of these historic spots. There is the classic Twain’s Restaurant building (now a Sharky’s) on the northwest corner of the intersection. On the southeast corner there is the space-aged-looking Ralph’s market building designed by R. Leon Edgar.
one of those San Fernando Valley throwbacks that dot the crisscrossing boulevards from Glendale to Chatsworth
The lodge struggled in recent years and finally called it quits as a hotel when the pandemic struck, according to an LA Times article in August. The new retail center at the former Studio City Sportsmen’s Lodge hosted a ribbon cutting Dec. 9, but many of the shops have yet to open.
The $100-million development project completed the first of two phases in September.
The center now offers 100,000 square feet of walkable retail shopping and dining.
The new shopping center is aiming for the high-end of retail with designer apparel shops, grocery and restaurants.
“We are continuing to enhance the creative and prosperous L.A. community by bringing in the finest in upscale dining, retail, and health and wellness to our center,” said John Usdan, chief executive of property owner for Midwood Investment & Development in a statement published in November. Midwood is the developer behind the project.
The former grounds were known in recent years for their walking path and koi ponds. A version of these ponds still exists along with some of the previous architecture of the hotel.
What Was the Studio City Sportsmen’s Lodge Before?
The lodge opened its doors before there was even a place called Studio City, and for that matter before electricity was even available for most homes. For decades the lodge offered trout fishing to guests–no the trout weren’t coming out of the nearby LA River, they came by way of trucking in farmed trout to cultivated ponds. The Studio City Sportsmen’s Lodge would later become a celebrity hotspot during the golden age of Hollywood, popular among the likes of John Wayne, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Check out the rest of the story at Wikipedia
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