September 19, 2014 – With Halloween Horror Nights beginning tonight, we thought we’d give you a quick update on some of the projects occurring at Universal Studios Hollywood.
With Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q and Louie’s walled off (or in the former’s case, demolished), the Upper Lot continues to be the centerpiece of development. Not only is construction for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter taking full swing, but the Studio Tour bridge, Springfield, Fast & Furious: Supercharged and more are all occuring on site as well – with hoards of construction workers and equipment occupying a sizable portion of the theme park.
So without further interruption, let’s begin.
» Lankershim Boulevard
» Parking Lot Expansion
» The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
» Fast and Furious: Supercharged
» Springfield
» Studio Tour Bridge
» Transformers Meet and Greet
» Soundstage 28 Deconstruction
As Universal’s proposed 500-room hotel continues to develop, Universal’s Lankershim entrance has been the home of some curious development. Plants and trees from the center divider and on the left hand side have been cleared off, alongside a sizable amount of shrubbery that used to surround the Sheraton-Universal’s entrance.
If you look closely, you can also see that crews have already paved over the plot of the proposed hotel-site with asphalt.
Construction on Universal’s additional parking structures continue to develop alongside the existing Curious George parking lot. If you look closely, you can see the foundations of a new pedestrian bridge that will connect the unnamed structure to Curious George.
The new parking structure will open by 2016.
With Flintstone’s Bar-B-Q now demolished, walls have pushed further back to Production Central, further constricting the pathway that leads from the Lower Lot/Simpsons Plaza to the rest of the Upper Lot.
Additional scaffolding has surrounded Hogsmeade as construction crews continue to erect Potter-esque structures in and around Shrek 4D and the modified Studio Tour entrance. For those who are familiar with Florida’s first Wizarding World installation, you can probably see some striking similarities already taking hold – especially when you view the construction site from the Studio Tour.
With Universal’s sfive-year epic transformation plan underway, Fast and Furious: Supercharged is starting to mature into two complete structures similar to King Kong 360 – 3D.
Of course, those who have seen this multi-building will tell you that the scope of Fast and Furious easily dwarfs that of King Kong – especially when you view how long the entire animation truly is (following the ride alongside Falls Lake).
Construction on Springfield’s two story dining venue continues as building facades begin to look like familiar references to the Simpsons television show. Perhaps more specifically, storefronts like the Aztec theater and Krusty Burger are starting to take after the concept art Universal released earlier this year. Do you recognize some familiar facades?
While Louie’s patio remains closed, patrons can still buy pizza from the restaurant’s kitchen from a vender cart right next door.
In a rather interesting development, additional work has appeared alongside the Studio Tour entrance.
During our visit, construction crews could be actively seen pouring in cement and digging up the dirt foundations that line up the newly constructed restrooms.
While Fast and Furious and Potter have developed rapidly, the Transformers photo opportunity has seemingly progressed at a slower rate.
While some additional work has been performed since the start of this month, the structure – though reminiscent of the previous meet-and-greet – appears to be far from finished.
…and finally, crews have slowly begun the deconstruction of Soundstage 28.
Construction personnel have already taken down some of Soundstage 28’s exterior elements – including the movie poster and the entrances to the stage’s restroom facilities – as trucks and equipment surround the building with large pullets. While no timeline has officially been announced, once has to wonder if the structure will remain in place up until this year’s Grinchmas.
That does it for us. Please continue to follow Inside Universal’s coverage of all things Universal Studios Hollywood and be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal.
Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing families and fans a resource for all things “Universal Studios Hollywood.” Since then, the website has taken him throughout the United States and around the world – including to places like Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore.
Jon currently resides in Santa Cruz, California. You may reach him at jon@insideuniversal.net.
