Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood Sign

Hollywood Sign, 2015
Location within Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
General information
Location Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California
Country United States
Coordinates 34°8′2.62″N 118°19′17.73″W / 34.1340611°N 118.3215917°W / 34.1340611; -118.3215917Coordinates: 34°8′2.62″N 118°19′17.73″W / 34.1340611°N 118.3215917°W / 34.1340611; -118.3215917
Construction started 1923
Completed 1923
Renovated repaired 1949
Demolished August 1978
Client Woodruff and Shoults (Hollywoodland)
Technical details
Structural system Wood and sheet metal (1923–1978)
Steel (1978–present)
Size 45 ft (13.7 m) tall, 350 ft (106.7 m) long
Original: 50 ft (15.2 m) tall
Design and construction
Architect Thomas Fisk Goff
Designated February 7, 1973
Reference no. 111

The Hollywood Sign (formerly the Hollywoodland Sign) is a landmark and American cultural icon located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains. The sign overlooks Hollywood, Los Angeles.

"HOLLYWOOD" is spelled out in 45-foot-tall (14 m)[1] white capital letters and is 350 feet (110 m) long. It was originally created in 1923 as an advertisement for a local real estate development, but it garnered increasing recognition after the sign was left up.[2] The sign was a frequent target of pranks and vandalism, but it has since undergone restoration, including the installation of a security system to deter vandalism. The sign is protected and promoted by The Trust For Public Land, a nonprofit organization, while its site and the surrounding land are part of Griffith Park.

From the ground, the contours of the hills give the sign a wavy appearance, as reflected in the Hollywood Video logo, for example. When observed at a comparable altitude, the letters appear nearly level.

The sign makes frequent appearances in popular culture, particularly in establishing shots for films and television programs set in or around Hollywood. Signs of similar style, but spelling different words, are frequently seen as parodies. The sign inspired Los Angeles artist Ed Rush who rendered it in different media.

The sign was the location of the 1932 suicide of Welsh starlet Peg Entwistle, who jumped from the "H".

History

Origin

The sign was first established in 1923 and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND." Its purpose was to advertise the name of a new segregated housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. H.J. Whitley had already used a sign to advertise his development Whitley Heights, which was located between Highland Avenue and Vine Street. He suggested to his friend Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times newspaper, that the land syndicate in which he was involved make a similar sign to advertise their land.[3] Real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults called their development "Hollywoodland" and advertised it as a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills."[4]

They contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect 13 letters on the hillside, each facing south. The sign company owner, Thomas Fisk Goff (1890–1984), designed the sign. Each letter was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high, and the whole sign was studded with some 4,000 light bulbs. The sign would flash in segments; "HOLLY," "WOOD", and "LAND" would light up individually, before lighting up entirely. Below the Hollywoodland sign was a searchlight to attract more attention. The poles that supported the sign were hauled to the site by mules. Cost of the project was $21,000,[5] equivalent to $292,154 in 2015.

The sign was officially dedicated in 1923. It was intended only to last a year and a half,[6] but after the rise of American cinema in Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the sign became an internationally recognized symbol and was left there.

Deterioration

In the 1970s, the sign reached its most dilapidated state.

Over the course of more than half a century, the sign, designed to stand for only 18 months, sustained extensive damage and deterioration.

During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H. Kothe, driving while inebriated, was nearing the top of Mount Lee when he lost control of his vehicle and drove off the cliff directly behind the H.
While Kothe was not injured, his 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the original 50 foot tall (15.2m) illuminated letter H.

In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development.[7] The Parks Department dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the Chamber's expense, so the Chamber opted not to replace the lightbulbs. The 1949 effort gave it new life, but the sign's unprotected wood and sheet metal structure continued to deteriorate. By the 1970s, the first O had splintered and broken, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O had fallen down completely, leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D."

Restoration

The sign from the Hollywood Hills

In 1978, in large part because of the public campaign to restore the landmark by Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave US$27,777.77 each (totaling US$249,999.93) to sponsor replacement letters, made of steel supported by steel columns on a concrete foundation (see Donors section below).[8]:169

The new letters were 45 feet (14 m) tall and ranged from 31 to 39 feet (9.4 to 11.9 m) wide. The new version of the sign was unveiled on November 11, 1978, as the culmination of a live CBS television special commemorating the 75th anniversary of Hollywood's incorporation as a city.[9]

Refurbishment, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting,[10] began again in November 2005, as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white.

Donors

Satellite view of the sign.
View of Hollywood sign, Windsor Square

Following the 1978 public campaign to restore the sign, the following nine donors gave $27,777.77 each (which totaled $250,000):

The original sign and restoration of the "H"

The original 1923 sign was presumed to have been destroyed until 2005, when it was put up for sale on eBay by producer/entrepreneur Dan Bliss.[11] It was sold to artist Bill Mack, who used the sheet metal as a medium to paint the likenesses of stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.[12] In August 2012, Mack constructed an exact replica of the letter H from the metal.[13] On August 9, 2012, Herb Wesson and Tom LaBonge of the Los Angeles City Council presented Mack with a Certificate of Recognition for his restoration efforts and preserving the iconic symbol of Hollywood history.[14]

Access

Some residents of the neighborhoods adjoining the sign are concerned about the congestion and traffic caused by tourists and sightseers attracted by the sign due to its location in what the Los Angeles Fire Department characterizes as an extremely high fire risk area lacking in the basic infrastructure (parking, restrooms, potable water) to handle the high number of visitors. As of 2013, "there are more than 40 tour companies running buses and vans in and out of the canyon..." and residents "...are most concerned about safety issues because the curving hillside roads were not designed for so many cars and pedestrians."[15][16]

Local groups have campaigned to make tourist access to the sign safer for visitors and residents. The Hollywood Sign Trust requested that Google and other mapping services stop providing directions to the sign that would take visitors through private property, instead directing them to two viewing platforms, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood and Highland Center. Other less remote areas from which the sign can be viewed are the Bronson Canyon entrance to Griffith Park and the Lake Hollywood Park on Canyon Lake Drive.[17]

Suicide of Peg Entwistle

In September 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by climbing a workman's ladder up to the top of the 'H' and jumping to her death. She was 24 years old.[18][19]

Location

View from West Hollywood, near Santa Monica Boulevard, a few blocks south of Hollywood Boulevard. The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is visible on the left.
Hollywood Sign from Runyon Canyon Park, San Gabriel Mountains in the background.
A view of the back side of the sign from the top of the hill

The sign is located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, north of the Mulholland Highway, and to the south of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) cemetery.

The sign is located on rough, steep terrain, and there are barriers to prevent unauthorized access. In 2000, the Los Angeles Police Department installed a security system featuring motion detection and closed-circuit cameras. Any movement in the marked restricted areas triggers an alarm that notifies the police.[20]

Penalties for trespassing include a $1000 fine, restitution to the City agencies involved in the trespasser's arrest, a one-year probation period and 20 days on a Cal Trans highway crew. Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu is currently working with the Los Angeles City Attorney to increase the penalty. [21]

It is located at 34°08′02.56″N 118°19′18.00″W / 34.1340444°N 118.3216667°W / 34.1340444; -118.3216667 at a 1,578-foot (481 m) elevation.

Surrounding land

The building and tower located just behind and to the right of the sign is the City of Los Angeles Central Communications Facility, which supports all cellphone, microwave and radio towers used by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Fire Department, the Los Angeles Unified School District and other municipal agencies. The building itself has no name and is essentially a large maintenance building for the antennas.

The sign in February 2010 during a donation drive raising money to preserve surrounding land.

Land in the vicinity of the sign was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1940, who planned to build a hilltop mansion at Cahuenga Peak for actress Ginger Rogers. Before long Rogers broke off their engagement and the lot remained empty. Hughes' estate sold the property that lies to the left and above the sign for $1.7 million in 2002 to Fox River Financial Resources, a Chicago developer that planned to build luxury mansions along the ridgeline.[22] It put the property on the market in 2008 for $22 million. As a result, the City of Los Angeles considered buying it, possibly by raising money from celebrities as was done for the 1978 restoration.[23]

Environmentalists and preservationists were concerned about the possibility of real estate development in the area. In April 2009 The Trust for Public Land (TPL) signed an option to buy the 138 acres (0.56 km2) property for a discounted price of $12.5 million. On February 11, 2010, as part of a campaign to help raise money and with the full support of both the city and the Hollywood Sign Trust, the organization covered each letter of the sign with large banners reading "SAVE THE PEAK".[22] On April 26, 2010, the Trust for Public Land announced it had raised enough money, with Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner stepping forward to donate the final $900,000.[24] Hefner later gave an additional $100,000 donation. After the purchase the parcel became an extension of nearby Griffith Park.[25]

Alterations

It is illegal to make unauthorized physical alterations to the sign. Although the city has occasionally allowed it in the past for commercial purposes, current policy does not permit such changes to be made. This is largely due to neighborhood opposition and to past accidents. However, the sign has been unofficially altered a number of times, often eliciting a great deal of attention. Among the more famous modifications:

Depictions

Imitations

Multiple other places have imitated the sign in some way.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce claims trademark rights over the sign's image and demands license fees for commercial use.[47] In several films and television shows, the Hollywood sign is seen getting damaged or destroyed from the events of a particular scene; period pieces may show just the "LAND" portion of the original sign being destroyed. It is an example of national landmarks being destroyed, a common feature seen in many disaster movies to increase the drama and tension.

In Shrek 2, it depicts a joke of the Hollywood sign saying instead "Far Far Away" which parodies the Hollywood sign.

See also

References

  1. Renée Montagne (October 28, 2002). "The Hollywood Sign". Present at the Creation. National Public Radio Crime Library. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  2. Hollywood Sign Trust (May 19, 2005). "The Hollywood Sign" (PDF). A Beat-by-Beat Plotline. Hollywood Sign Trust. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  3. The Father of Hollywood by David Spencer (2006)
  4. Williams, Gregory. "The Story of Hollywoodland". Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association]. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  5. Horowitz, Joy (May 13, 2011). "Signs and Wonders [review of The Hollywood Sign: Fantasy and Reality of an American Icon by Leo Braudy]". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013.
  6. "1923: A Sign Is Born". The Hollywood Sign. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  7. "The Hollywood Sign". Sign A Rama Davie. September 24, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Braudy, Leo (2012). The Hollywood Sign: Fantasy and Reality of an American Icon (Icons of America). Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-18145-0.
  9. "Sign Unveiled". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. November 11, 1978.
  10. "Hollywood Sign Restoration Project 2005". Bay Cal Painting. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  11. Jessica Seid (November 17, 2005). "Buy a piece of HOLLYWOOD". CNN.
  12. "Bill Mack's Hollywood Sign Project". Erin Taylor Editions. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  13. "Minn. sculptor restores H". Associated Press. August 8, 2012.
  14. "Minneapolis sculptor unveils original H from Hollywood sign". KMSP-TV. August 9, 2012.
  15. Bob Pool (8 October 2013). "Discontent brewing under the Hollywood sign". Los Angeles Times.
  16. Bob Pool (9 October 2013). "Hollywood sign tourists, sightseers annoy local residents". Los Angeles Times.
  17. Walker, Alissa (21 November 2014). "Why People Keep Trying to Erase the Hollywood Sign From Google Maps". Gizmodo. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  18. "Young Actress Ends Life In Hollywood". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 20 September 1932. p. 11. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  19. Zeruk, James, Jr. (2013). Peg Entwistle and the Hollywood Sign Suicide: A Biography. McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 0-786-47313-4.
  20. "Hollywood Sign". Hollywood Sign Trust. August 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  21. Spokeperson for Councilmember David Ryu on June 29, 2016
  22. 1 2 "Preservation campaigners cover Hollywood sign". KABC-TV. February 11, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  23. "Chicago investors' sale puts famous Hollywood sign in jeopardy, residents say". Chicago Sun-Times. Associated Press. April 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 15, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  24. "Original Benefactor Hugh Hefner Returns as Final Donor to Save Land Surrounding Hollywood Sign". Hollywood Sign Trust, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and City of Los Angeles. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010. Archived version April 27, 2010
  25. http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=23767&folder_id=266. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. 1 2 3 4 Nelson, Valerie J. (January 27, 2007). "Daniel N. Finegood, 52; prankster known for creative alterations of Hollywood sign". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  27. Los Angeles Times (September 22, 1990). "Hollywood Sign Gets New Look—Briefly". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  28. Los Angeles Times (January 3, 1985). "Hollywood Sign's Puzzling Letters Remain a Mystery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  29. UPI (January 7, 1985). "A rock band from New Orleans called The Raffeys...". UPI. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  30. Laura Fitzpatrick (November 2008). "Nerd Humor Meets California Landmark". Time. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  31. "Los Angeles Police Department: 1987 Pope John Paul II Visit". Lapdonline.org. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  32. Los Angeles Times (September 16, 1987). "The Papal Visit : Papal Digest : A Sign of the Times--This One is 'Holywood'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  33. Schoch, Deborah (July 6, 1992). "Hollywood Residents Can't Shroud Anger Promotion: Paramount Pictures defends attaching a movie cartoon character to the famous sign. Citizens fear a tourist invasion and say that the landmark is being commercialized.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  34. "Cartoon Character Opens Landmark Rift". San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. July 7, 1992. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  35. Chazanov, Mathis (July 7, 1992). "'D' as in Disagreement Cartoon Character Atop Landmark Sign Sets Off Protests". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  36. "Banner Signs".
  37. Tamara Race (May 23, 2008). "Iconic Hollywood Sign Comes East". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  38. Lashley, Brian (August 14, 2009). "Hollinwood sign mystery solved". Manchester Evening News. Manchester, England. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  39. "Wellingtonians rejoice at Wellywood U-turn". ONE News. tvnz.co.nz. June 1, 2011.
  40. "'Hollywood' sign for Essex town". BBC News. March 29, 2010.
  41. The Guardian (2010-03-17). "Upset racecourse officials with Hollywood-style sign stunt". London. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  42. http://www.studiob.rs/info/vest.php?id=13309
  43. Sue Cummings (May 1986). "Dollywood: The Wait is Over". Spin magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  44. Lietuvos rytas. "Didziausias Like zenklas - Druskininkuose".
  45. "The World's largest like". State Department of Tourism.
  46. "Welcome to the real Hollywood". Irish Examiner. 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  47. "Licensing Inquiries". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

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