Most people picture the Hollywood Sign as a permanent part of the skyline, something that has always belonged there. Its beginnings were far more ordinary. It started as an advertisement meant to be taken down.
The story takes in a housing boom, years of neglect, a few famous pranks, and a rescue funded by celebrities. It’s also still being written, as the sign’s caretakers prepare for new projects in 2026.
A Billboard for a Hillside Subdivision
The original sign went up in 1923 and spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND, to promote a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood. Developers Woodruff and Shoults advertised the neighborhood as a superb environment without excessive cost. The Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler was among the backers behind the project.
The letters were huge, about fifty feet tall, and were lit with thousands of light bulbs so they could be seen across the basin at night. That made sense for a sales pitch. Nobody thought of it as a monument, and it was only expected to stand for a short time.
Why It Stayed Up After the Ads Stopped
The sign was never meant to outlast the sales campaign. Yet the film industry was growing quickly in those years, and the word on the hillside began to mean something beyond a subdivision. Locals and visitors alike started to associate it with the studios below.
Maintaining it was another matter. The bulbs and the upkeep cost money, and the development company’s fortunes did not hold. Over the following years the sign slowly lost its role as an ad and gained one as a landmark, almost by default.
The Sad Story of 1932
Not every chapter is cheerful. In 1932 the actress Peg Entwistle died after climbing the H, an event that became part of the sign’s darker folklore. Her story is often retold, though it says more about the era’s pressures than about the structure itself.
It’s a reminder that the sign has always carried mixed meanings. For some it stands for opportunity, and for others it stands for the cost of chasing it.
Decay and the Removal of Four Letters
By the late 1940s the sign was in poor shape. In 1949 an agreement with the city’s park authorities led to repairs and the removal of the last four letters. That left the shorter word we recognize today, which referred to the district instead of the old development.
The repairs did not last. Through the following decades the wood and sheet metal structure deteriorated. Wind and weather took their toll, and letters broke or fell.
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Official Recognition in 1973
Even while it was falling apart, the sign gained formal status. It was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1973, despite being in disrepair. The designation acknowledged its value but did not pay for repairs.
That gap between honor and funding shaped the next stage. The city had recognized the sign as important, yet someone still had to find the money to save it.
The 1978 Rebuild and the Celebrity Donors
The Hollywood Sign Trust was formed on October 7, 1978, to repair, maintain and improve the sign for the public. That year a fundraising campaign led by Hugh Hefner invited donors to sponsor individual letters. The singer Alice Cooper is among those remembered for sponsoring one of the Os.
The old structure was torn down and replaced with new steel letters. The new version followed the original specifications, dimensions, angles and location. Engineer C.A. Van Dam is credited on a small plaque at the base.
Pranks, Protests and Public Messages
Because it’s so visible, the sign has been a canvas for pranks and protests. The best known came on New Year’s Day in 1976, when it was altered to read as a reference to marijuana, and the same joke returned in 2017. Writer Meg Farmer notes that pranks and protests were interrupted only briefly around the 1978 rebuild.
The Trust later added surveillance equipment to deter this kind of trespassing. It has been responsible for installing a surveillance system, painting and maintaining the sign, and marking its anniversaries. Access to the sign itself remains restricted.
Protecting the Hillside
The land around the sign has had its own fight. In 2010 a campaign led by the Trust for Public Land raised millions to buy the acreage behind it and keep it from being developed. Hefner contributed a large gift near the end of that effort, and the land was transferred to the city’s parks system.
Fire risk is a continuing concern in the surrounding hills. The Trust helps manage the landscape around the sign to protect it from fire. Good stewardship of the slope matters as much as the paint on the letters.
The Centennial and the Sign in 2026
In October 2022 the sign received a deep cleaning and a fresh coat of paint in a shade called Hollywood Sign Centennial White. That work and decades of earlier preservation earned the Trust a Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award in 2023. The sign’s hundredth birthday that year was marked by the city with a formal resolution.
Recent activity has continued. The Trust marked the second Hollywood Sign Day on October 31, 2025, and the first anniversary of its Time Capsule project. Its chair pointed to upcoming events including the World Cup, the Olympics and the anticipated opening of a Visitors Center.
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