Plymouth Rock Studios
Encyclopedia
Plymouth Rock Studios was a proposed film
and television
production studio
in Massachusetts
. The studio had held a now-expired option to buy Waverly Oaks Golf Club in Plymouth as the site for the $650 million, 1260000 square feet (117,057.8 m²) development originally slated to be complete in 2010. The proposal included fourteen sound stage
s 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) back lots
, a multipurpose theater
, a hotel
and office
s. The original proposed location for the studio complex was located in South Plymouth
, near the town lines of Bourne
and Wareham
, but was rejected because of faulty land titles.
Construction of the studio was planned to start in July 2009, but was delayed indefinitely in November of 2009 when construction funding fell through weeks before the planned groundbreaking. Its website has not been updated since.
As of 2011, the facility no longer has any option on the Waverly property and the owner is trying to develop a housing community.
from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The studio planned to erect a "Hollywood East" sign in the Plymouth area to accompany the studio. A temporary installation of the sign, standing 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and 45 feet (13.7 m) across, at the Plymouth Courthouse was unveiled in July 2008, but was quickly removed after various groups objected.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The studio had held a now-expired option to buy Waverly Oaks Golf Club in Plymouth as the site for the $650 million, 1260000 square feet (117,057.8 m²) development originally slated to be complete in 2010. The proposal included fourteen sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
s 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) back lots
Backlot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
, a multipurpose theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s. The original proposed location for the studio complex was located in South Plymouth
South Plymouth, Massachusetts
South Plymouth is the portion of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States that covers much of the southern section of the town beginning at the Pine Hills, a large, mostly undeveloped forested area south of Plymouth Beach, Chiltonville and South Pond...
, near the town lines of Bourne
Bourne, Massachusetts
Bourne is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,721 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Bourne, please see the articles on Bourne , Buzzards Bay, Monument Beach, Pocasset, Sagamore, and Sagamore...
and Wareham
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
, but was rejected because of faulty land titles.
Construction of the studio was planned to start in July 2009, but was delayed indefinitely in November of 2009 when construction funding fell through weeks before the planned groundbreaking. Its website has not been updated since.
Plans and studio facilities
The future home of Plymouth Rock Studios was first proposed in early 2008. A first site chosen in South Plymouth, off Bourne Road, was abandoned when title issues threatened to delay construction indefinitely. Shortly thereafter a new plan - on the site of an existing golf course on Long Pond Road (Waverly Oaks Golf Course), was announced.As of 2011, the facility no longer has any option on the Waverly property and the owner is trying to develop a housing community.
Local Support
Plymouth citizens overwhelmingly voted on May 10, 2008 in support of the studio. Question 3 was a nonbinding referendum used to evaluate whether Plymouth voters were in support of plans of Plymouth Rock Studios being built in their town. The vote was in favor with 8,530 votes of yes and 1,118 votes of no. On October 27, 2008, a vote by members present at the Plymouth town meeting passed articles granting zoning privileges and tax breaks for Plymouth Rock Studios.The "Hollywood East" Sign
In May 2008, Plymouth Rock Studios licensed the rights to the iconic Hollywood signHollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The studio planned to erect a "Hollywood East" sign in the Plymouth area to accompany the studio. A temporary installation of the sign, standing 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and 45 feet (13.7 m) across, at the Plymouth Courthouse was unveiled in July 2008, but was quickly removed after various groups objected.
External links
- Plymouth Rock Studios website (not updated since 2009)