Do you have a question about Studio City? How do you get that tree stump removed? When will those pipes be fixed? Community activist Lisa Sarkin is answering questions about the history, government and problems in our area in this You Ask..Studio City Patch Answers column. She often knows who to call, and where to go to get things done. Send your questions to or leave it in the COMMENTS section below. Thanks!
Of the Chemosphere House
Who owns that Chemosphere house at the top of Mulholland above the Universal Overlook that looks like a flying saucer? Is it still being used in movies?
The Chemosphere house was a showpiece for John Lautner’s circular design that was considered defiant of conformity. This house is considered a mastery of concrete architecture that shows complex and original architecture with unmatched design of light and space, said in The Los Angeles Times. According to the paper, it has been owned by German book publisher Benedikt Taschen, since 2000.
According to Wikipedia:
The building was first used in a dramatic film as a futuristic residence in the 1964 ABC-TV program "The Outer Limits: The Duplicate Man," based on a science fiction story by American author Clifford D. Simak. Exterior scenes for the television episode were shot on location; a detailed sound-stage set of the house's interior was built. It was also used in the 1984 film Body Double, directed by Brian De Palma, as the house of a principal character. A set for a scene in Charlie's Angels was inspired directly by the Chemosphere. A similar building also appears in the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" near the "VINEWOOD" sign. In an episode of The Simpsons, character Troy McClure resides in a similar flying saucer-shaped home. Hosts on Current TV appear in a set which is an exact replica of the interior of The Chemosphere. The character "Desolation Jones" in the comic of the same name lives in the Chemosphere. In the animated series The Jetsons that first aired two years after the construction of Chemosphere, all buildings are round shaped and supported by poles. In the television series Lost In Space the Robinson family's flying saucer space ship, the Jupiter 2, looks like the Chemosphere.
Of the Moving Billboards
Hi Lisa, I like your articles in Patch. Can you address for the readers the annoying billboard situation ie: What is being done, or what can we do to get rid of those billboards that are attached to bicycles and scotters and scattered around Laurel Canyon and Moorpark Streets. (Especially the one often attached to the fence at Moorpark Park!)
What is being done to rid the Studio City Area of those mobile billboards attached to bicycles or scooters, especially the ones around Laurel Canyon and Moorpark street where there is often a billboard attached to the fence at Moorpark Park!
Thanks – Patty
We received the following information from Councilman Paul Krekorian’s office.
Hello Patty,
Thank you for your email regarding the mobile billboard at Moorpark Park in Studio City. The sign attached to the fence at the park is a violation. I have let the Bureau of Street Services and the Office of Public Safety know about the issue so that they can investigate and remove the sign. I have not heard back from either department but I will swing by later on today to see if it has been taken care of.
I could not find City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's email address on their website, but you can fax the documents to his office at 213-978-8312 or speak with a representative at 213-978-8100.
Best regards,
Geoff Yazzetta
Field Deputy
More information we should all know – the state law only prohibited unhitched advertising signs and unfortunately, those advertisers figured out that connecting the signs to anything with wheels and legally parking it, was not prohibited. Anything on city sidewalks though is completely prohibited. When you see the sidewalk signs of any type, you can email the address or location to Street Services at bss.boss@lacity.org. The sign at Moorpark Park was removed.
