A comeback is on the way for a historic Santa Monica Mountains movie ranch, one of the local National Park Service sites damaged in the Woolsey Fire.
When the 2018 blaze reached Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills
, flames caught in a stand of willow trees before spreading into the western town. Its rustic structures built for television and movie sets stood close together and without many of the fire-resistant standards required in most homes.Only a white chapel and mock train depot survived the blaze.
Now, four new buildings, including a pavilion, have gone up within the footprint of historic-era structures. Crews started framing in 2024, and construction should wrap up within the next couple of months, said Jody Lyle, superintendent of the Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
"We are looking to celebrate the reopening of the ranch early next year," Lyle said on Sept. 10.
That also will mark Paramount Ranch's centennial year, she said.
What movies, shows filmed at Paramount Ranch?
For more than 40 years, the National Park Service has managed the historic movie ranch, first owned by Paramount Pictures in the 1920s.
The backlot was used for television shows from “The Cisco Kid” in the 1950s to “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” in the 1990s. More recently, the HBO series “Westworld” filmed there. Over the years, the site also hosted events from large festivals to small weddings.
Tucked beneath the more modern sets, remnants of the Paramount era remained until the Woolsey Fire. The studio built prop sheds and other structures, some with dirt floors, and over the years, they were covered up by other sets, officials said.
They formed a sort of backbone for the sets. After the fire, the park service wanted to recreate structures that would allow filming to continue on the ranch. When the four new buildings are finished, studios and others could again create temporary additions, ones that may represent a variety of genres, not only a western town.
This time, however, the buildings were constructed to current codes, inside and out, and also could be used for events and other activities, according to the park.
How much did the Paramount Ranch rebuild cost?
The National Park Service said the project totaled roughly $25 million and included the new buildings at Paramount Ranch and others at its Rocky Oaks property in Malibu, which also burned in the fire. AMG & Associates, Inc., of Santa Clarita, received the contract for the work.
An estimated 88% of federal parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains fell into the footprint of the Woolsey Fire that started near Simi Valley on Nov. 8, 2018. Three people died in the blaze that burned close to 150 square miles and destroyed hundreds of homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
At Paramount, while the new buildings look much like the old ones, they were built with more fire-resistant materials, from metal roofs to special siding, and have been equipped with sprinkler systems and other features, Lyle said.
During the multi-year construction, Paramount Ranch and its trail systems remained open, though work areas were closed to the public. After construction wraps up and temporary fences are removed, the park service plans to add other finishing touches, from building picnic tables to installing trash cans, officials said.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Fire destroyed this TV western town, but a rebuild is nearly complete
