Studio Bellerive History

The building was constructed in 1928/29 by architects Anton Fritz Scotoni and Karl Rudolf Völlmy as a garage with gymnasiums and two indoor tennis courts. The indoor tennis courts belonging to the Hotel Bellerive in the two side wings of the property were the first indoor tennis facilities in Europe at that time. In 1932, the gymnastics rooms on the 1st floor were converted into a car repair shop and a dance studio.

In 1941, the Bellerive film studio was set up in the tennis hall on the Kreuzstrasse side. In 1952, the PTT decided to gain initial experience with television productions in Switzerland for a few hours a day. For this purpose, the former tennis hall was rented by PTT in 1953 in broom-clean condition and gradually converted into a TV studio and was the first TV studio of Swiss television. The studio was only accessible via a narrow staircase. Within 9 months, the basic infrastructure was built: a closed cabin was placed directly in the studio room as a broadcasting control room, the technology was installed one floor below and a total of three small offices were set up. In the beginning, the staff had to sit on the floor during program director briefings, and the editing room was housed in a shower room. All in all, at the time of the start of the trial operation, Studio Bellerive had a total of three cameras, a film scanner, a scanner for slides (photos) and a few microphones.

In 1963, Swiss television filmed its own version of Dinner for One at Studio Bellerive with the original actors Freddie Frinton and May Warden. 1964 saw the start of production and broadcasting of the first commercials. At the same time, the first TV color pictures were produced on a test basis at Studio Bellerive starting in 1965. In 1968, color television was introduced at Studio Bellerive and on Swiss television. In 1969, Swiss television broadcast a live program on the moon landing from Studio Bellerive. Swiss stars such as Heidi Abel, Mäni Weber and Ruedi Walter launched their careers at Studio Bellerive, as did Vico Torriani, Ettore Cella, Ines Torelli, Peter K. Wehrli and Hans O. Staub, who first appeared in front of the cameras here. Presenter Hans A. Traber recorded his TV programs here, which were known throughout Switzerland. Likewise, the Rundschau and the legendary TV series Zu Besuch im Zoo (A Visit to the Zoo) and Zu Besuch beim Tierarzt (A Visit to the Vet) were broadcast for the first time from Studio Bellerive.

In 1972, Condor Films took over the studio and further expanded it as a film and TV production facility. In addition to the actual studio, the current technical infrastructure for commercials, feature films, commissioned films and TV productions was operated on a further three floors and office space was set up. Director Rolf Lyssy shot parts of his feature film Kassettenliebe in the studio in 1982. Dieter Meier and Boris Blank of Yello filmed their music videos at Studio Bellerive, such as "The Race" in 1988. In 1999, the property and Studio Bellerive were listed as historic monuments by the city of Zurich. In 2008, the picture studio was completely vacated and converted into new office space for Condor Films. These were occupied in late summer 2010. The original lighting control room from the days of Swiss television was left in the premises and newly restored. The soundproof cabin made of glass and wood, which is located 10 meters above the ground under the roof, is now accessible via a new gallery.