In 2023, the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee turned 100 years old. Over this time, the iconic structure has undergone many changes, yet the Hollywood Sign remains one of the largest and most frequently photographed symbols of Los Angeles. Not only locals but also people from different countries come here to take a memorable photo. You can learn more about the landmark’s history from la-future.
History of the Hollywood Sign
In the early 1920s, Los Angeles was experiencing a period of prosperity. Local authorities wanted to build a city that could compete with New York. Development was gaining momentum, and the result was well-known architectural landmarks that have been preserved to this day.
By 1923, Hollywood was associated with a place for movie stars. People from the industry came to Los Angeles from the East Coast because of the sunny skies and mild climate. Hopeful actors and actresses filled the city streets, all blinded by the dream of becoming movie stars. All these people stayed in Hollywood for a certain period, so they needed housing.
A group of investors led by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler decided to take advantage of this, so they bought land in the hills and divided it for sale. To attract as many potential buyers as possible, the developers came up with an idea. They installed a huge wooden sign with lights called “Hollywoodland.” The cost of this billboard was $21,000. By the end of 1923, the sign was fully installed. It towered over the metropolis, which continued to grow rapidly. It was only meant to be installed for 18 months. It happened that it is a beloved Los Angeles landmark to this day.
The Birth of Television
The Hollywood Sign is located on Mount Lee, named after businessman Don Lee. He was the one who launched the W6XAO radio station in Los Angeles in 1931. In 1938, the businessman’s network purchased a 20-acre plot located behind the Hollywood Sign. Don Lee built a modern broadcasting studio and a transmitting tower on this site. Its capabilities were impressive for the time, and the construction of the facility was completed in 1939. Los Angeles could boast the world’s tallest television transmitting tower. Historians call this period the beginning of a new era in the history of Hollywood.
Tragic Story Near the “H” Letter
The film industry was stunned by the arrival of synchronized sound. Large studios adapted quickly, but many actors lost their careers in an instant. You can only imagine the psychological state of the actors and actresses at that time. One of them was Peg Entwistle, a New York theater actress. She achieved incredible success on Broadway, and after that, her ambitions brought her to Hollywood. She packed her things and moved to Beachwood Drive, literally in the shadow of the Hollywood Sign. She waited for calls, invitations to film shoots, but nothing came. One evening, the actress climbed the canyon to the Hollywood Sign, which for her at that time came to be associated not with hope, but with failures and rejection. She climbed the 50-foot maintenance ladder to the top of the letter “H” and jumped. The actress was only 24 years old at the time, and the media dubbed her “the Hollywood Sign girl.”
Most locals are familiar with the continuation of the legend about Peg Entwistle. The story goes that after the tragic events, she received a letter from the Beverly Hills Theater. She was offered a leading role in a play. The irony is that, according to the plot, Peg was supposed to play a woman driven to suicide.
Mobilization
In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. At that time, all of Hollywood mobilized: some went to war, while others were busy feeding, sheltering, and entertaining returning soldiers. In the early 1940s, the “Hollywoodland” development went bankrupt, and no one took care of the sign itself. Unnoticed, the Hollywood Sign became the property of the city in 1944. The “land” was removed from the sign’s name. It’s amazing how successfully a billboard turned into an official landmark of Los Angeles.
In the post-war years, about 400 actors, screenwriters, directors, and producers were blacklisted. By 1948, box office receipts had fallen by 45%. Hollywood moved to the small screen.
Changes Are Inevitable
In the 1960s, Hollywood faced the opposite situation, namely a massive outflow of residents to the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. By 1970, only one studio remained in the city—Paramount. This period coincided with the relaxation of decency laws. So Hollywood was flooded with adult cinemas with 18+ culture, porn shows, adult bookstores, and so on. During this time, crime rose sharply.
What awaited the Hollywood Sign? The previously proud emblem of Hollywood turned into a neglected and rusty sign of shame. Eventually, the sign literally crumbled under its own weight. 1973 became an important year in its history, when the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board granted the sign official landmark status (No. 111).
The official ceremony was spoiled by the weather. This became a harbinger of bad days for the city’s iconic symbol. Recalling the history of the 1970s, Hollywood continued to decline then. The top of the “O” and “D” letters collapsed from Mount Lee, and one of the “L”s was set on fire. At that time, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to completely reconstruct the sign. The cost of the work was estimated at a quarter of a million dollars. Celebrities came to the rescue. For example, in 1978, Hugh Hefner held a fundraising gala at his famous Playboy Mansion.
The event gathered many star sponsors, for example, glam rocker Alice Cooper and “cowboy star” Gene Autry. The old letters were sold at auction.
In August 1978, the old sign was removed from sale, after which the Hollywood Sign was revived and polished.
The Hollywood Sign Trust
In 1992, the organization received legal rights and obligations from the California Attorney General regarding the maintenance, repair, and major improvement of the sign’s condition. The Trust’s mission expanded; it’s about helping to preserve Hollywood’s status as a global center of film art.
On December 31, 1999, the West Coast hosted a loud and large-scale celebration of the beginning of the year 2000. It was a special source of pride for the locals that the Hollywood Sign was shown during a global television broadcast, along with the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian pyramids, and Times Square in New York.
In 2000, the Hollywood Sign Trust provided the important Los Angeles landmark with a modern security system (video and internet surveillance). The system controls it around the clock, protecting the Hollywood Sign from unwanted visitors and damage. In 2005, the system was upgraded.
100th Anniversary of the Hollywood Sign
In 2023, the Hollywood Sign celebrated its 100th anniversary, and October 31 was declared the official “Hollywood Sign Day.” This was preceded by large-scale preparations. For example, in 2022, the Hollywood Sign Trust again collaborated with Sherwin-Williams to update the appearance of the iconic symbol of Los Angeles. The work began on September 19, 2022. A team of 10 workers began to carefully prepare, wash, prime, and paint the Hollywood Sign.
Finally, we want to add that the Hollywood Sign continues to be a source of inspiration for filmmakers and fans around the world. It has helped Hollywood remain at the center of the global entertainment industry. It is one of the favorite landmarks for locals and at the same time a global icon, whose history continues.
