The Hollywood Sign used to say HOLLYWOODLAND – to advertise a new fancy housing development at the top of Beachwood Canyon – a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills" – the brainchild of Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times. That was 1923 – but the sign fell apart. The neighborhood didn't and the old stone gates to the development are still there. So are a lot of the whimsical houses. The land directly...
more »The Hollywood Sign used to say HOLLYWOODLAND – to advertise a new fancy housing development at the top of Beachwood Canyon – a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills" – the brainchild of Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times. That was 1923 – but the sign fell apart. The neighborhood didn't and the old stone gates to the development are still there. So are a lot of the whimsical houses. The land directly under the sign was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1940, to build a hilltop mansion for Ginger Rogers, but she dumped him and that land is still vacant. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce contacted with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign – a contract that stipulated that "LAND" be removed – and then that sign fell into disrepair too. In 1978, Hugh Hefner led the effort to make the Hollywood Sign all spiffy again – and so it is. But behind the stone gates to Hollywoodland it still seems to be 1923 – a "superb environment" – even if a bit odd. ~ Thursday, June 7, 2018
« less
