One of the biggest and most famous signs in history was dedicated on this day in 1923 — 98 years ago — in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.
The 50-foot-tall letters, “H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D-L-A-N-D,” were installed to promote sales in a housing development called — you guessed it — Hollywoodland.
Large, white-painted panels formed each letter, which were mounted to a framework of pipes, wires and telephone poles. For pizazz, light bulbs were added. Meant to be a short-lived advertisement, the letters quickly became a symbol of the glamour of American show business. By the mid-1940s, the sign began to crumble.
The developers soon pulled out of the neighborhood. The sign came to be part of a public park and control of it fell to the city of Los Angeles. The last four letters were removed in 1949, after the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce paid for the sign’s refurbishment.
After losing one of the “O’s” to termites, the sign was torn down in 1978 and rebuilt. The 450-foot-long landmark remains a beacon — though not for homes in the area. Those tend to sell themselves.
Photo by Alex Pitt
Thanks New York Times!