About The Hollywood Heritage Museum
Our History and Planning Your Visit
The Hollywood Heritage Museum
in the Lasky-DeMille Barn
2100 North Highland Avenue
(Across from the Hollywood Bowl)
Hollywood, California
Under the stewardship of Hollywood Heritage, Inc., the Lasky-DeMille Barn, built in 1901, was restored and currently houses the Hollywood Heritage Museum. The story of the early Hollywood motion picture industry and the historic Hollywood community is told through archival photographs, historic documents, movie props and related memorabilia. Visitors experience the actual structure where Cecil B. DeMille's office exists, furnished with selected personal DeMille belongings, and where countless movies were filmed and studio staff worked and played.
On December 27, 1956, the Lasky-DeMille Barn was designated California State Historic Landmark No. 554, recognizing the significant role the building played in the birth of the Hollywood motion picture industry. Since 1985, Hollywood Heritage, Inc. has funded the preservation, restoration and maintenance of the barn. It’s the oldest existing motion picture production building in Hollywood, having been established as the Burns-Revier Studio in 1912, and becoming the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in 1913. The Lasky Company merged with Adolph Zuckor’s Famous Players in 1916, becoming Famous Players-Lasky and merging with Paramount Distributing Company, finally becoming Paramount Pictures Corporation. In 2014, the Lasky-DeMille Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [See the Time Line on the Museum link for a more detailed history of the barn].
VISITING THE MUSEUM
Hours: Saturdays & Sundays 11 am - 3 pm.
Always check the homepage to make sure that the museum is open when you plan to visit. We do close some weeks for various reasons.
Join at the door or online to visit as often as you like for free.
Group tours (10 or more) available during the week by appointment only.
Email [email protected] to request.
Be sure to visit our bargain room for books at historically low prices!
As we share our ample parking lot with the Hollywood Bowl, the museum is occasionally closed when the Bowl has an event. If you are traveling a long way to visit us, you should phone first to make sure we are open: (323) 874-2276
ADMISSION
Hollywood Heritage members: Free (Join at the door or online).
Adults: $10 - Children under 12: Free
PARKING
Parking is free. There is a large parking area on the east side of Highland Avenue, in front of the museum. There is no entrance facing Highland Avenue. You have to go around the corner either on Milner Road or Odin Street and immediately turn into the lot. If there are parking lot attendants at a barricade, tell them that you are visiting the museum. The lot is managed by the Hollywood Bowl, so please contact them regarding any questions you might have.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The Metro subway station closest to the Museum is the Hollywood-Highland stop. We are located approximately a half-mile north on Highland Avenue, about a 12-minute walk.
BECOME A DOCENT:
Hollywood Heritage is a volunteer driven organization. Our docents assist museum guests and help with our Barn programs, as well as many other activities associated with historic preservation issues and the day-to-day activities that make our organization so vital. If you are interested in becoming involved, click here.
HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE ARCHIVE:
Hollywood Heritage maintains an archive of historic photographs, documents, and other material related to the film industry and the community. Our archive also includes considerable holdings on Hollywood real estate history and buildings of architectural significance. We continue to seek material related to our dual mission of industry and community history. Questions regarding our archive and donations procedures should be directed to our Collections Manager, Richard Adkins.
DONATION OF PHYSICAL ITEMS:
Hollywood Heritage welcomes donations both monetary and physical objects. Donated items fall into two categories.
For resale in the Museum Store: The museum store contains new and used items. The older items are all donated to Hollywood Heritage and include books on the motion picture industry and its participants, and books on the Los Angeles area. It also includes used DVDs, VHS tapes and other electronic storage of motion pictures, as well as related items. These types of donated items can be dropped off at the museum along with the donor’s name and address so that, if desired, donor recognition and/or a tax letter can be provided by the Collections Manager.
For Hollywood Heritage Archive: These are items that Hollywood Heritage’s curator agrees are compatible with our collection. An appointment may be set up with our Collections Manager. Much of the collection has been donated by individuals and families with relatives who contributed to the film industry and the Hollywood community, often with the goal of preserving their relatives’ participation in Hollywood. We are also interested in photographs or other documentation of any properties in Hollywood, as we maintain an archive of each property by address. For further information about donations you may contact our museum manager.
Hollywood Heritage, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 California state non-profit corporation. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. We will be happy to provide a receipt for donations for tax purposes.