The National Park Service has awarded a contract to AMG & Associates, Inc., a company based out of Santa Clarita, California, to rebuild park facilities in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) that were lost during the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

The project is slated to begin on June 12, 2023, with expected completion by fall 2024. Overall, the project will construct six new buildings to restore visitor services, employee housing, and administrative offices. Both sites will receive upgrades to utilities and the new buildings will meet current design codes and standards for accessibility and fire safety.

At Paramount Ranch, four buildings will be constructed in the footprints of historic Paramount Studios buildings. Three of these will accommodate film operations, but also be available as indoor or covered event spaces. The fourth new building at the Ranch will be a restroom.

At Rocky Oaks, one administrative building and one multi-plex housing unit will be constructed.

“Paramount Ranch is one of the only location film ranches that has been in continuous use since the Golden Age of Hollywood. It welcomed the dawn of television and the streaming era,” said David Szymanski, superintendent for SMMNRA. “It is the National Park Service's only site dedicated to interpreting American film history and we are excited to bring the excitement back.”

Construction will occur five days a week—Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. No regular work will be performed on weekends or federal holidays unless there’s a weather delay or unforeseen situation. Park officials will monitor fire weather forecasts and take necessary precautions during red flag days.

The Paramount Ranch trail system will remain open to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians during the project, but the construction area itself will be closed to the public and surrounded by fencing. See map here.

Visitors will continue to park on the east side of Medea Creek and will be able to access the restrooms across the street.

Hikers and cyclists will be allowed access over the Medea Creek bridge and guided around construction fencing to access the trail system.

Equestrians will access the trail system via the creek crossing north of the visitor parking area (see map below). The Medea Creek bridge and the construction area are too hazardous for horse riders during the project.

There may be temporary closures of the Medea Creek bridge (up to 20 minutes) if the contractor is moving heavy equipment or supplies.

Rocky Oaks will remain open for recreational use as well. The construction project will take place in the already-closed administrative area to the west of the visitor parking and trailhead. One trail segment will be closed that runs through the construction area, but this closure will not affect public access to the rest of the trail system.

Visit Paramount Ranch: Past, Present, and Future for more information about the history of the Ranch, the Woolsey Fire, and what will be reconstructed. The Environmental Assessment and the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for this project are both available on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment webpage.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.