Today, we’re continuing our Hooray for Hollywood series — our building-by-building stroll down Hollywood Boulevard at Universal Studios Florida.

So far, we’ve explored both the right side of the street and the first few buildings on the left, uncovering the real Hollywood inspirations behind each building. We are now in Part 5 of this Hooray for Hollywood series – so if you have missed any of the previous 4 parts, definitely go back and check those out. There are a lot of details to discover!

• Hooray for Hollywood (Part 1): The Opening Credits - Cafés, Clubs, and Quiet Tributes
• Hooray for Hollywood (Part 2): Facades, Film Stars & Forgotten Storefronts
• Hooray for Hollywood (Part 3): Food, Film, and Facade Finales
• Hooray for Hollywood (Part 4): Shakes, Shops, and Shutterbugs

But if you’re all caught up, or ready to dive in today, then join us as we continue our walk back to the front of the park, past the Darkroom. That’s right – today, we’re learning more about: The Studio Styles Store, Schwab’s Pharmacy, The Universal Studios Radio Broadcast Center, and The Hollywood Roof Ballroom & Café.

Below are photos of the buildings – both past and present - that we’ll be covering today. You can also join the conversation and share your own photos and stories over at our private Facebook Group: Where In The Park Explorers.
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Studio Styles Store

A Civic Landmark in Disguise

First up is the Studio Styles Store, located just to the left of The Dark Room. While the building’s interior has been constantly transforming in recent years — from a shop that sold sunglasses, to becoming the very first Universal Orlando AP Lounge, to being the location of tribute stores that have celebrated everything from Jurassic Park to Mardi Gras — the exterior tells its own story.

There are two plaques here. The first is a bronze sign on the front of the building that reads:

Hollywood

*

Chamber of Commerce

Now, if you look closely, there is a star with a little dot in the middle that is in between the words Hollywood and Chamber – we’ll go over why in just a moment.
The second plaque is black with a golden frame, located just to the left of the doors, that reads in gold text:

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Building
Morgan, Walls, and Clements
Architects
1925

These plaques give away this building’s real-world inspiration: the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Building at 6520 Sunset Boulevard, designed in 1925 by the architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, with the look inspired by the Spanish Baroque style Churrigueresque.

If those names sound familiar – great memory! They were also the architects for the Ralphs building (which we covered in Part 3 of our Hooray for Hollywood Series). They are also responsible for designing icons like the El Capitan Theatre, the Mayan Theater, and the Wiltern Building. 

The original Chamber of Commerce building opened in 1926, but wasn’t just an office space — it became the headquarters for Hollywood’s civic pride, later housing the team that helped establish the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the 1950s. This is why there is a star on the plaque I alluded to earlier – to indicate the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1976, the chamber moved to another location, and Schaeffer Photo and Camera Supply moved in. From 2002 to 2020, the building was home to Larson Studios, a postproduction sound company. Today, it is the west coast location for Glavovic Studio, an award-winning architecture and design firm.
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Schwab’s Pharmacy

Soda Fountains and Star Power

Next door sits a name practically synonymous with Hollywood lore — Schwab’s Pharmacy.
The large gold plaque to the right of the door reads:

Schwab’s Pharmacy
‘Here, if anywhere else in America, I seem to hear the coming footsteps of the muse.’
— William Butler Yeats

The quote captures the heart of what Schwab’s represented — a place where creativity, conversation, and luck seemed to meet over a milkshake.

Schwab’s Pharmacy opened in 1932 at 8024 Sunset Boulevard, when Philadelphia brothers Jack, Leon, Bernard, and Martin Schwab purchased a failing pharmacy to add to their small chain of drugstores that started on 6th Street in downtown L.A. The Sunset Boulevard location was across the street from The Garden of Allah Hotel, which is also represented in the park in Florida, where today you can find the NBC Media Center, which is over by the entrance to DreamWorks Land. The pharmacy was also near several movie studios and catered to that clientele. Not only did it fill prescriptions, but it also had a grocery store, a make-up counter, and a restaurant.

A fun historical note I found was about Sidney Skolsky, a gossip columnist for the New York Daily News. He not only was the first in print to use the name “Oscar” for the Academy Award, but he also helped make Schwab’s famous in the 1930s. He used the drugstore’s second-floor office to write his column “From A Stool At Schwab’s” for the movie magazine Photoplay.

Schwab’s quickly became one of Hollywood’s most legendary hangouts. Studio executives, actors, and hopefuls gathered daily, and it was the kind of place where movie deals were rumored to happen in between bites of pie and ice cream.

Universal’s recreation captures that same nostalgic spirit. Inside, you’ll find white walls with metal trim, a wide array of black-and-white photos of actors or newspaper ads of the time, curved countertops, and a menu filled with sundaes, shakes, malts, floats, and Dole Whip sorbet.

It’s a delicious tribute to a real Hollywood landmark that closed its doors in 1983, where it stood empty until it was knocked down in 1988. A Virgin Megastore opened at this location in 1992, but closed by the end of 2007. Today, you’ll find a large shopping district named 8000 Sunset Strip where Schwab’s was once located, with several retail and dining locations, anchored by a CVS/pharmacy.

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Universal Studios Radio Broadcast Center

Real Magic Behind the Mic

Just a few steps down from Schwab’s is the Universal Studios Radio Broadcast Center, a building that perfectly blends movie magic with real studio function.

If you look near the entry, you’ll notice a small plaque marked:

Universal
Studios
Radio
6778

which is one of the numbered markers used along Universal’s Hollywood Boulevard to give certain buildings their own unique “address.” Unlike many of the buildings down Hollywood Boulevard, this space is actually used for what the sign displays: this is a real production facility, operated by Universal Studios Production Group. Inside, the space serves as a working broadcast and post-production center, hosting everything from radio shows to podcast recordings and voice-over sessions.

In true Universal fashion, it’s both authentic and theatrical — a functioning production space hidden in plain sight that celebrates the golden age of radio.
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Hollywood Roof Ballroom & Café

The Glamour Above It All

Above the Broadcast Center is the Hollywood Roof Ballroom & Café, a stunning nod to a real Los Angeles landmark.

The plaque on the building (as shown above) reads:

Hollywood Roof Ballroom
1930

This façade takes direct inspiration from the Hollywood Roof Top Ballroom, which once stood at the southwest corner of Vine Street and Selma Avenue in Hollywood, California. Built in the early 1920s, the building featured a Mediterranean Revival and Beaux-Arts hybrid design with tall arched windows, ornate reliefs, and an elegant second-story balcony — all faithfully mirrored here at Universal.

In its heyday, the Hollywood Roof Top Ballroom was a premier nightlife destination, where guests dined and danced under the stars. The venue embodied the glamour and energy of 1920s Hollywood, when Vine and Selma served as the social heart of the film community.

At Universal Studios Florida, this façade reimagines that atmosphere. The arched windows and ornamental details replicate the ballroom’s architecture, while the balcony and neon “Hollywood Roof Ballroom & Café” sign evoke the glitz of a rooftop evening. It’s a perfect companion to the Broadcast Center below — together, they form a layered tribute to Hollywood’s creative boom, where art, music, and entertainment collided in style.
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That’s a Wrap (For Now)

Thanks for joining us on this fifth stroll down Hollywood Boulevard at Universal Studios Florida. We’ve uncovered the stories of civic ambition, soda-fountain gossip, secret studios, and rooftop elegance — all told through stunning architecture and carefully chosen tributes.

If you haven’t already, check out:

💬 Our Facebook Group, Where In The Park Explorers, for behind-the-scenes convo

🎙️ Past episodes in this Hooray for Hollywood series to catch up on every detail

We’ll be back soon with more Hollywood history with Part 6 - covering the Brown Derby, Wicked: The Experience store (formerly known as the Hello Kitty Store), and the Universal Studios Store. Until then - we'll see you, somewhere in the park!

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Articles Referenced 

Alicia Stella- “Passholder Lounge Now Open at Universal Studios Florida” Orlando Park Stop November 14, 2018
Art Deco Society of Los Angeles – What is Art Deco? 
J. H. Graham - 6520 Sunset: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
Lindsay Williams-Ross - LAistory: Schwab’s Pharmacy. March 20, 2009
Los Angeles Conservancy - CBS Columbia Square
Ocean Florida Travel Blog - Essential Guide to Universal Orlando Tribute Stores
Orlando Informer – Schwab’s Pharmacy
Martin Turnbull – Hollywood’s Golden Age Blog, August 17, 2020
Martin Turnbull - Schwab’s Pharmacy – the best place to spend a day waiting for That Call
Universal Studios Florida Production Group - Broadcast Center
Water and Power Associates – Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1925+)
Water and Power Associates – Early Views of West Hollywood (1920+)
Wikipedia – Schwab’s Pharmacy
Wikipedia – Streamline Moderne 
Yesterland – Real Buildings that Inspired Universal Studios Florida