5 Fun Facts About The Hollywood Sign

Like the rest of the United States, the Hollywood sign fell into hard times during the Great Depression, and maintenance on the sign ceased. The “H” even toppled over at one point but of course, that was not one of the letters that was permanently removed. In the 1940s the city of Los Angeles was given ownership of the sign and apparently, the Parks & Rec department wanted to get rid of it! Leslie Knope would never.

Luckily, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in and restored the sign – in doing so they removed four letters: L, A, N, D. That’s right the sign used to read “Hollywoodland” – and technically “Ollywoodland” during the Great Depression, but we don’t talk about that.

That’s right, Ralphie. 

In 1923, Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles times decided it was a great time to invest in an upscale housing development. (Spoiler Alert: It was not). He wanted to capitalize on the growing recognition of Hollywood as a movie town. His marketing had to be flashy, so he spent $250,000 on 45ft white letters that read Hollywoodland. The letters were illuminated by hundreds of lightbulbs which would illuminate Holly, then wood, then land on a loop all night long. 

Classy stuff. 

That’s right. Mr. Hugh Hefner himself. Not all heroes wear capes, folks; some wear robes. 

Hefner and eight other donors who love livingin in Hollywood, including rockstar Alice Cooper, attended a gala at the Playboy mansion and pledged $28k each to help fund the project. Hollywood then went three months without its biggest landmark. 

If you were a resident or tourist living in Hollywood farther than the Amor, you probably had trouble figuring out where you were without the sign on the hillside to guide you. Thankfully, in 1978, the new sign was complete. The new Hollywood sign is much more structurally sound and receives regular maintenance and a fresh coat of white paint. 

What a different landscape that would be when you're living in Hollywood! The reason we don’t see luxury homes up there is because actress Ginger Rogers broke up with her business tycoon beau, Howard Hughs. He had planned to build them a mansion on the 138 acres of land that he had purchased by the famous sign. Heartbroken and alone, he abandoned the idea, and nothing happened with the land until 70 years later, when it was sold to an investment firm.

Movie studios, actors, investors, and, of course, Hugh Hefner, raised enough money to purchase the land, prevent houses from being built, and now it is protected parkland. 

Pretty interesting stuff, right? We would also be remiss not to add that some of our apartments at Beachwood Towers have their own private view of the legendary Hollywood Sign. #HumbleBrag

If you’re interested in taking a look or finding out more, book a showing with us today!