Rescued from demolition in 1982, this landmark barn was finally moved to its current, permanent site across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, and it is now open to the public as the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

Step through the doors, and you'll discover that the old Lasky barn looks much larger than it appears from the outside. One can see by the raftered ceiling that it was a barn, but now the hay bales are gone, the sawdust on the floor has been replaced with carpeting and the lighting is subtle and effective.The space is dedicated to exhibits about Hollywood movies and historic Hollywood architecture.

The Museum houses the largest public display of early Hollywood photographs and memorabelia. Rare photos show significant silent film sets and casts, as well as views of Hollywood homes and the fantasy architecture that made Hollywood's boulevards unique. Charlie Chaplin's 1919 movie camera can be seen, along with 1929 movie projectors used by Buster Keaton in his home. There is a large assortment of actual props and weapons from DeMille films (spears, shields, swords, etc.) including "The Ten Commandments," "The Crusades", "Cleopatra" and "Samson and Delilah".

One corner contains Cecil B. DeMille's private office, complete with his original old desk, period telephone and typewriter. You can also see Demille's glasses, shoes, riding gloves and crop on display. Visitors can watch a 45-minute video on De Mille and his most famous movies. The Museum sells new and vintage books on Hollywood movies and architecture and other small, related items. A full-fledged gift shop is coming soon.

Alas, in September of 1996, the DeMille barn suffered through a disastrous fire, which almost gutted the old studio. The fire charred the back and roof of the building , while smoke and water damaged several pieces of historic movie memorabilia. They lost the litter from "The Ten Commandments" and the chariot from the 1926 "Ben-Hur". Fortunately, the structure itself survived, and firemen braved the flames to rescue many of the museum's other artifacts.

Fortunately, the museum has been restored in the years since then, and on July 10, 1999, the staff of "Hollywood Heritage" finally managed to re-open the Museum to the public.

The Museum is open on weekends from 11AM to 4 PM and fully-guided tours for 15 or more can be arranged for weekdays or weekends by calling Mary Sullivan at (323)874-4005.

Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for students & seniors, and $1 for children . Admission is free for current Hollywood Heritage members.

There's a free parking lot next to the museum (off Odin Street & Highland.)

During the summer, there is a shuttle bus which runs from this museum to the nearby Hollywood Bowl Museum (although they're within easy walking distance).

(Ironically, "The Squaw Man" went on to become the only movie ever to have been successfully filmed three different times by the same producer/director. Cecil B. DeMille repeated his 1913 success with a new 1918 silent version, and later, in 1931, he remade it again, this time as a talkie!)

Note: You can find the tomb of Cecil B. DeMille (and the crypt of Jesse Lasky) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, right next door to giant Paramount Studios, the studio that the two men founded from this little barn.

 Getting there: The museum is located in a park/parking lot southeast across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, just 600 feet from the base of the Hollywood Freeway's offramp - at the southeast corner of Highland Avenue and Odin Street. / From Hollywood & Vine, go west on Hollywood Boulevard (about 3/4 of a mile) to Highland Avenue. Turn right (north) on Highland, and drive north up Highland Avenue a few short blocks (about three quarters of a mile) to the museum, which will be on your right (east) side - just before Odin Street. Once inside the lot, look for the old yellow "house." / From the Hollywood (101) Freeway north to the Highland Avenue/Hollywood Bowl exit, circle to the right (onto Odin Street), then quickly get into the left lane. The museum & parking lot are on your left as soon as you leave the exit onto Odin Street (but before you reach Highland Avenue). Look for a small sign that says "Hollywood Bowl," and turn left into the parking lot.

If you like to walk, the museum is about a 10 minute, uphill walk (on Highland) from the new Hollywood & Highland center / Academy Awards Theatre (and the subway stop on that site).