historyWikipedia1923 · Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA
The Hollywood Sign was built in 1923 as an advert for a housing development and was meant to last 18 months
The original Hollywood Sign went up in 1923 and read HOLLYWOODLAND, advertising a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood. Its developers hired the Crescent Sign Company, whose owner Thomas Fisk Goff designed 50-foot-high white block letters studded with around 4,000 light bulbs that flashed in segments. Workers hauled telephone poles up the slope by mules and pack animals, because the steepest section was too steep for vehicles. The sign was dedicated on 13 July 1923 and was meant to stand only a year and a half. Its visibility grew with the rise of the film industry in Los Angeles, so it stayed up and kept the full name for decades.
The letters were built from a wooden frame on a steep hillside and lit by light bulbs and a searchlight, which made the words visible across the valley at night. The sign's lights were later switched off around 1933, when its new owners judged the upkeep too expensive.
The sign shows how a real estate advert became a global symbol of the film industry. Its growth in fame reflects Los Angeles's role as the centre of American cinema during its Golden Age. It is a reminder that many famous landmarks began as temporary promotions.
Many advertising structures outlived their purpose and became landmarks. The sign's fame grew as the film industry expanded, a case of a temporary promotion being absorbed into a city's identity.
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