Hollywood Sign (Zuschnitt)

The Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles. Originally the Hollywoodland Sign, it is situated on Mount Lee, above Beachwood Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains. Spelling out the word "''HOLLYWOODLAND''" in white uppercase letters and 450 feet (137.2 m) long, it was originally erected in 1923 as a temporary advertisement for a local real estate development. Due to increasing recognition, the sign was left up, with the last four letters "LAND" removed in 1949. The sign was entirely replaced in 1978 with a more durable all-steel structure and concrete footings.

Among the best-known landmarks in both California and the United States, 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 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce holds, for certain uses, trademark rights to a wordmark of staggered typeface that mimics the physical Hollywood Sign, but it does not hold rights to the actual sign. Filmmakers benefit from knowing that the Chamber does not hold any rights in USTPO Class 41; ''entertainment''.

Because of its widespread recognizability, the sign has been a frequent target of pranks and vandalism across the decades. It has since undergone restoration, including the installation of a security system to deter mischief. The Hollywood Sign Trust, which is controlled by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, is a volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining, protecting and promoting the sign, but has no legal rights to the landmark itself, or the surrounding land, which is part of Griffith Park.

History

Origin

The original sign was erected in 1923 and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND" to promote the name of a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.

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."

They contracted the Crescent Sign Company to erect thirteen south-facing letters on the hillside. Crescent owner Thomas Fisk Goff (1890–1984) designed the wooden sign in and white block letters. Studded with around 4,000 light bulbs, the completed sign alternated between flashing in successive segments "HOLLY", "WOOD", and "LAND" and as a whole. Below the sign was a searchlight to attract more attention. The poles that supported the sign were hauled to the site by mules. The project cost $21,000, .

The sign was officially dedicated in 1923, intended to last only a year and a half. The rise of American cinema in Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood gave it widespread visibility, causing it to be left beyond that, for over a quarter of a century still spelling "Hollywoodland". In September 1932, 24-year-old actress Peg Entwistle died by suicide by climbing a workman's ladder up to the top of the 'H' and jumping to her death.

The sign’s illumination was switched off about 1933, as the new owners decided it was too expensive.

Deterioration and restoration

1940s

In time, the sign deteriorated. The letter ''H'' was destroyed in early 1944. A United Press report in 1949 indicated that winds were to blame, while the ''Los Angeles Times'' said that the H was destroyed by "vandals or windstorms."

In 1949, the sign drew complaints from local residents, who called it an "eyesore and detriment to the community" and advocated its demolition. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce protested against the sign's removal and offered to repair it. The Chamber entered into 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. The restoration and removal of the "land" portion of the sign was conducted in September 1949.

1970s

The sign's unprotected wood-and-sheet-metal structure deteriorated over the years. After a severe windstorm on February 10, 1978, the first ''O'' was splintered and broken, resembling a lowercase ''u'', and the third ''O'' had fallen down completely, leaving the now-dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWOD."

In 1978, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave US$27,778 each (totaling US$250,000, ) to sponsor replacement letters, made of steel supported by steel columns on a concrete foundation .

The new letters were tall and ranged from 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.

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

Donors

Following the 1978 public campaign to restore the sign, the following nine donors gave $27,700 each (which totaled $249,300):
* H: Terrence Donnelly (publisher of the ''Hollywood Independent Newspaper'')
* O: Giovanni Mazza (Italian movie producer, co-founder of Panaria Film)
* L: Les Kelley (founder of Kelley Blue Book)
* L: Gene Autry (actor)
* Y: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in honor of Hugh Hefner (founder of ''Playboy'')
* W: Andy Williams (singer)
* O: Warner Bros. Records, currently known as Warner Records
* O: Alice Cooper (singer), who donated in memory of comedian Groucho Marx
* D: Dennis Lidtke (businessman, graphics company Gribbitt), donated in the name of Matthew Williams

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. 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. In August 2012, Mack constructed an exact replica of the letter ''H'' from the metal. 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 preservation of the sign.

Access issues

Considerable public concern has arisen over certain access points to the trails leading to the sign that are in residential areas. Some residents of the neighborhoods adjoining the sign, such as Beachwood Canyon and Lake Hollywood Estates, have expressed concerns about the congestion and traffic caused by tourists and sightseers attracted to the sign. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported in 2013 that "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." The Los Angeles Fire Department identifies Griffith Park, where the sign resides, as a high fire risk area due to the brush and dry climate. Local residents have created fake 'no access' and other misleading signs to discourage people from visiting the sign.

In 2012, at the behest of residents of the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge petitioned GPS manufacturers Garmin and Google Maps to redirect traffic away from residential streets, which lack the infrastructure (e.g., parking, restrooms, potable water) to deal with the large influx of tourists, towards two designated viewing areas, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood and Highland Center. The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit that maintains the sign, also endorses these two viewing platforms. Other mapping services, such as Apple Maps and Bing Maps, have subsequently followed suit. This was considered deceptive by some as the hike from Griffith Observatory could take up to two hours one way, and both locations are considerably farther away from other viewing locations or trails.

In 2015, the city made the northern parts of Beachwood Canyon into preferential parking districts, restricting parking on most of the streets in the neighborhood only to its residents.

In 2017, Beachwood Drive gate, an access point to the popular Hollyridge Trail, was closed to the public by city officials, though it remains accessible as an exit. The closure came as a response to a lawsuit by Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables against the city for advertising a gate at the bottom of the trail, which directed tourists towards the Ranch's "exclusive easement (right of way) road". The Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that although the path was open to the public, the proliferation of its access by the city had interfered with the Ranch's business, thus the city was ordered either to provide access near the start of the easement or reopen a previously closed trail. A spokesperson from the office of Councilman David Ryu

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