View Hollywood Sign Photos

The Hollywood sign is the most popular icon for the community of Hollywood.  Originally built in 1923, the sign first read HOLLYWOODLAND which advertised the real estate development by the same name.  To advertise the new Beachwood Canyon real estate development, the developers, including Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler and silent movie pioneer Mack Sennett, ordered a huge wooden sign built atop what is now known as Mount Lee. The mountain is named after early Los Angeles car dealer and radio station owner Don Lee.  Originally, the sign was lighted with about 4000 incandescent light bulbs, which were changed by Albert Kothe when they burned out.  There are scores of old Hollywoodland Sign photos on the hollywoodphotographs.com web site.

One of the most tragic events that involved the Hollywoodland sign was the suicide of Millicent “Peg” Entwhitle in 1932.  Despondent over her acting career, Peg climbed the letter “H” and jumped.  

By the late 1940s, the sign was beginning to deteriorate, due to the weather.  In 1949, the letter “H” fell down, due to high winds and the rest of the sign was also damaged.  The letter “H” was rebuilt, the last four letters removed and the rest of the sign refurbished. This time it read HOLLYWOOD.

By the mid 1970s, the sign was again in great disrepair.  The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce undertook a campaign to rebuild the sign.  With the support of Playboy Magazine founder, Hugh Hefner, Alice Cooper and many other celebrities and Hollywood residents, the old sign was removed and a new sign built in its place.  The new sign was build out of steel girders and faced with modern materials.  The grand opening took place on November 11, 1978.

Great photos of the old and new HOLLYWOOD sign can be viewed at hollywoodphotographs.com.