The life of a landmark sign

1923

To promote a new real estate

development, LA Times publisher Harry Chandler funds a colossal ‘Hollywoodland’ wooden sign on Mount Lee, only meant to stay up for

a year and a half

1949

As Hollywood grows into the epicentre of the entertainment industry, the final four letters of the Hollywoodland sign are removed. An icon is born — a symbol of Los Angeles and

the dreams it represents

1973

Citizens of Hollywood successfully campaign to have the Hollywood Sign declared a Historic-Cultural Monument, protected by law, by the Cultural Heritage Board of the City of Los Angeles

1978

With the original sign in state of disrepair, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner launches a campaign to raise the funds needed to restore it. The old sign is torn down, and a steel replacement

is built three months later