Hollywood Sign
Photo: Jon Sullivan · Public domain
About
The sign was built in 1923 as an advertisement for a hillside real estate development called Hollywoodland, with the Crescent Sign Company constructing thirteen 50-foot letters lit by thousands of bulbs that once flashed in sequence. The city took over its upkeep in 1949, removing the last four letters so it read simply Hollywood, and by the 1970s the original wood-and-sheet-metal letters had deteriorated to the point of near collapse.
A 1978 fundraising campaign replaced the sign with steel letters funded by nine donors, including musician Alice Cooper and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, each covering the cost of one letter. The Hollywood Sign Trust has monitored the site with surveillance cameras since 2000 to deter trespassing, since the fenced area immediately around the sign is closed to the public.
Because the sign cannot be approached up close, most visitors experience it from a distance, whether from the terrace at Griffith Observatory, a Griffith Park trail, or a Hollywood street corner, which makes it an easy landmark to combine with an observatory or park visit rather than a separate destination.
Visitor information
Admission There is no admission fee since the sign is viewed from public land at a distance; the fenced area right around the letters is closed to visitors.
Getting there The most common viewpoints are reached from Griffith Observatory or trailheads inside Griffith Park, both served by DASH shuttle routes.
