The Hollywood Sign
I can talk about New York City history at random on a multitude of topics… but Los Angeles... I’m at a loss. I’ve been to LA many times and have never hiked up to the Hollywood Sign so since I was there for the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do a piece on its history.
Do you know why Hollywood is the motion picture capital of America? In the early 1900s Thomas Edison owned most of the patents for all filmmaking equipment. Based in New Jersey just across the river from New York City, His company often sued filmmakers to stop production. Therefore, filmmakers began moving out to Los Angeles to escape the lawsuits! I never knew that.
The original 1920's HOLLYWOODLAND sign advertising the housing development. - Photo: WikiCommons
As Hollywood and Los Angeles expanded and grew, real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults created a housing development called ‘Hollywoodland’. In 1923, in order to advertise the development, they hired Crescent Sign Company to produce a giant sign on top of Mount Lee in the Hollywood hills. The original sign was made of wood and each white block letter was 30 feet wide by 50 feet tall. It cost $21,000 to produce which is around $460,000 today!
Original 1923 advertisement for Hollywoodland. - Library of Congress
It was only meant to last a year and a half but due to the popularity of cinema in Los Angeles, it was left up for more than a quarter of a century and keep in mind, it still said HOLLYWOODLAND.
In the late 1940s the wooden sign had fallen into disrepair (the letter ‘H’ was even missing) so local neighbors rallied to have the sign removed saying it was an eyesore. Luckily, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce stepped in offering to help restore it with the stipulation that the word ‘LAND’ be removed so that the sign would reflect the area, not the housing development.
The HOLLYWOOD sign in the 1970s was in need of some help. - Photo: WikiCommons
By the 1970s the sign wasn’t doing great… again. The Chamber of Commerce was in need of $250,000 for a full restoration. In order to raise money for the restoration, Hugh Hefner threw a fundraising party offering celebrities the chance to sponsor one of the 9 letters. Each letter was $27,700 and Alice Cooper, singer Andy Williams, and Kelley Blue Book founder Les Kelley were 3 of the 9 donors who stepped in to help.
The HOLLYWOOD sign in the 1970s was in need of some help. - Photo: WikiCommons
Alice Cooper donated money for one of the 'O's - Photo: Hollywood Sign Trust
The old version was completely demolished and a new steel sign was erected. CBS even did a TV special commemorating the new sign which coincided with the 75th Anniversary of Hollywood’s incorporation. This is the same version we see today, which gets a new paint job every few years.
The HOLLYWOOD Sign before renovation. - Photo: Hollywood Sign Trust
The HOLLYWOOD Sign during renovation. - Photo: Hollywood Sign Trust
The newly restored HOLLYWOOD Sign, this time made of steel instead of wood - good call. - Photo: Zuschnitt
The HOLLYWOOD Sign from Griffith Observatory. - Photo: Chris Baker
Today the HOLLYWOOD Sign is a very popular tourist destination for anyone visiting the Los Angeles area. There are miles and miles of hiking trails in the vast Griffith Park it sits in.
The top of HOLLYWOOD Sign... the views are spectacular. - Photo: Chris Baker
I thought going to visit the sign would be an easy task… but it’s not. Located in Griffith Park, a mountainous area with rough terrain, it’s a 4 mile hike up to the sign. I have to say though, once I got to the top it was absolutely breathtaking! Pro Tip: Go early! The park gets very busy by 10am.
