HUGHES AIRCRAFT PROPERTY BECOMING STUDIO COMPLEX

The historic property in the Playa Vista area of Los Angeles, where Howard Hughes operated his Hughes Aircraft Co. during World War II and where he built his legendary Spruce Goose transport plane, will be turned into a movie and television production complex as part of a $50-million renovation, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Friday). The seven-story hangar where the Spruce Goose was constructed, which has been used for years as a movie soundstage — most recently for the filming of Avatar — will be converted into five soundstages, each soundproofed so densely that they can be used simultaneously. (The complex is located just a short distance from the L.A. airport, requiring extra baffling to block the roar of approaching aircraft.) Ten other buildings, each in varying states of decay, will be refurbished and the entire complex outfitted with fuel-cell and solar technology, the owner-developer, Wayne Ratkovich, told the Times.