It’s more than just nine white letters spelling out a city’s name; it’s a universal metaphor for the place, industry, lifestyle and aspiration we all know as H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D.
Today it stands as one of the world’s most well known monuments, but behind the Sign is a fascinating story mirroring the saga of Hollywood itself — a story of soaring ambition, crumbling decadence, and constant reinvention.
The Sign was originally cast as a spectacular $21,000 billboard for “Hollywoodland,” an upscale real estate subdivision located at the end of Beachwood Canyon just below what is now Mount Lee. The development was funded by a syndicate composed of Eli Clark, General Moses Sherman, Tracy Shoults, Sydney Woodruff and Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler. Initially the project was run by Shoults (who oversaw sales) and Woodruff (who spearheaded development and construction), but when Shoults unexpectedly passed away on July 6, 1923, Woodruff was named the lead for all phases of the project.
The Hollywood Sign has always served as a barometer for the community; and as Hollywood re-blossomed, so too did the Sign, which benefited from a range of new preservation efforts. In 1992 the California Attorney General granted distinct legal rights and responsibilities to three official agencies: the City of Los Angeles (which owns the land the Sign stands on), the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (which owns the licensing rights for the Sign’s image), and the Hollywood Sign Trust (formed to maintain, repair and provide capital improvements to the Sign for the benefit of the public, with a larger mission of helping to preserve Hollywood’s standing as the worldwide center of motion pictures and cinema arts).
When the original Sign was built in 1923, no one could have imagined that what was conceived as a temporary billboard would endure to become one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. During that improbable journey, the Sign fell into irrelevance and severe disrepair, before finally being recognized as a civic treasure to be restored, protected and promoted. Today, as it approaches 100 years of stardom, the Sign is poised to play its signature roles for generations to come: a celestial fixture above a city of constant change, a dazzling marquee for an industry perpetually announcing its own gala premiere, and a beacon for aspiring stars from all walks of life, conjuring a parade of dreams and desires with nine simple white letters: H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D.
Thirty-two years after the Sign was rebuilt, the Sign’s #1 fan, Hugh Hefner, presents the Hollywood Sign Trust with the closing gift to ‘Save the Peak,’ capping efforts to raise funds to purchase and protect the 138 acres behind the Hollywood Sign. Thanks to Mr. Hefner’s contribution, grants from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and Aileen Getty, along with contributions from Hollywood leaders and fans around the world, the view that is inseparable from this cultural landmark will be protected.
