History:

 

Two months after moving to Los Feliz from the Midwest in October 1923, Walt Disney agreed to a contract with New York distributor M.J. Winkler to make a series of Alice Comedies.  “With his brother, Roy, Walt rented some space in the rear of a small office occupied by Hollywood-Vermont Realty at 4651 Kingswell on October 8, 1923, for ten dollars a month. On October 16, the Disneys’ first contract was signed, and they were in business. In January 1924, the Disneys rented, also for ten dollars a month, a vacant lot at 4589 Hollywood Blvd., at Rodney Drive, for outdoor shooting of the Alice films. This lot was about three blocks from the studio. By February, the Disneys had enlarged their staff to seven, and the real estate space was outgrown. So, a lease was negotiated on the adjoining store, at 4649 Kingswell, for thirty-five dollars a month. A separate garage was also rented for seven dollars a month. The sign on the window read ‘Disney Bros. Studio.’ The contract for the first year called for one Alice Comedy a month; with the second contract, it went to one every three weeks.  More staff had to be added and soon the Kingswell studio proved too small.”  (Source: Dave Smith, Walt Disney Archives, Burbank, CA)

 

In 1925, the Disney brothers put a $400 deposit on property to build a new studio at  2719 Hyperion Ave., now Gelson’s Market.