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Hollywood Sign

Perhaps nothing typifies the Los Angeles spirit more than the legendary sign perched on Mt. Lee, towering over the city, reading “Hollywood�. One of the most famous landmarks in the United States, this sign comprises nine fifty foot high white letters and has become an internationally recognized symbol for the land of movie making and glorious excess, appearing in such films as Earthquake, Superman, and even Austin Powers: Goldmember. 

The sign was originally constructed in 1923, but not for city or symbolic purposes. Its original intention was simply advertising. A local real estate developing team was opening a new subdivision in the Hollywood district and wanted to get the word out in a creative fashion. They erected a sign in the hills above the city that read “Hollywoodland�, the name of their new housing project.

In 1949, the Hollywood city council removed the word “land� from the sign, refurbished the dilapidated letters, and then left the sign to rot. Over the next thirty years, the sign fell into disrepair. In 1978, through such donors as Gene Autry and Alice Cooper, the sign was replaced with (slightly smaller) steel letters, guaranteeing a long, sturdy life for the immortal landmark.

For those wishing to see the sign and photograph it during their California vacation, there are several nice viewpoints in the Los Angeles area, including from the Hollywood and Highland Center (located at the intersection of those two streets) and a few places along Beachwood Canyon Drive.