The Hollywood Sign (formerly the Hollywoodland Sign) is an American cultural landmark that overlooks Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is located in Mount Lee in the Beachwood Canyon area of the Santa Monica Mountains. The 45-foot (13.7 m) long and 350-foot (106.7 m) long “Hollywood” advertising sign, Hollywood in white letters, was designed in 1923 as a temporary advertising campaign for city development. However, due to growing popularity, the panel was removed and replaced in 1978 with a strong and durable steel structure. One of the most famous places in California and the United States, the sign is often seen in popular media, especially in the introduction of television and movies set in Hollywood and around. However, symbols similar to Hollywood symbols are usually considered different versions. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the trademark rights to the Hollywood logo.
Due to its popularity and visibility in various locations around the Los Angeles Basin, the sign has been vandalized and ridiculed over the years. The sign has been modified, mainly by applying a coating system to prevent vandalism. The non-profit organization, The Hollywood Sign Trust, protects and promotes the site’s sign and the surrounding area that is part of Griffith Park. Visitors can visit the Bronson Canyon sign at the Griffith Park entrance or the Griffith Observatory. The main entrance to this Hollywood lake can be found outside Griffith Park, but it is not a place to enter the park; it is a beautiful view close to Hollywood Lake Park next door.
History
The sign was established in 1923. It was originally called “HOLLYWOODLAND” to promote the name of the new development located in the hills overlooking the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Its builders, Woodruff and Shoults, called their development “Hollywoodland” and advertised it as “an affordable luxury location on the Hollywood side of the hills.”
They and the Crescent Sign Company installed 13 signs south of the hill. Crescent owner Thomas Fisk Goff (1890-1984) created a wooden sign 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and 50 feet (15.2 m) high with capital letters in white. It is decorated with about 4000 bulbs. The sign can change between the bright side of “HOLY,” “COTTON,” and “LAND” as a whole. The bottom part of the panel is the light that attracted the most attention. The posts supporting the panel were pulled there by mule horses. The sign was built for $21,000, worth $330,000 in 2021. The sign was opened in 1923 and is expected to last one year. The growth of American cinema in Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood brought it to the public eye. It has been abandoned for almost a quarter of a century and is still labeled “Hollywoodland.”
Go to other similar places like Los Angeles County Museum of Art