7 Fascinating Facts About the Hollywood Sign

Updated on 5/16/2020 at 1:45 PM

The incredibly famous Hollywood sign sits atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills, watching over the film industry's most well-known city. The sign itself has starred in a number of movies and TV shows — like Netflix's Hollywood, where the sign played the location to actress Peg Entwistle's tragic end, which is a true story. But did you know that when the sign was built, it didn't exactly say Hollywood? Or that some very famous names helped refurbish the sign when it started falling apart in the 1970s? Read all about those fun facts and more when you scroll through the gallery ahead.

When It Was Originally Built, the Sign Said Hollywoodland

The Hollywood sign actually originally started as the Hollywoodland sign. It was built as an advertisement for a housing development in the 1920s. The publisher of the Los Angeles Times at the time, Harry Chandler, wanted to promote the area and all Hollywood had to offer, so he and his partners paid for the sign to go up. It was illuminated by lights that would flash in segments: "HOLLY," "WOOD," and "LAND."

"Land" Was Removed From the Sign in the 1940s

Over two decades, the sign started to seriously deteriorate, so the developers handed it over to the city. In doing this, the city decided to drop "LAND" from the sign and give it a makeover, including removing the lightbulbs. It then became a part of the famed Griffith Park.

Hugh Hefner Helped Save the Sign in the 1970s

As the sign started quite literally crumbling in the 1950s, Hugh Hefner threw a party for some of Hollywood's elite to raise money to fix it. Celebrities didn't just donate, they sponsored whole letters. Hefner, for example, purchased the "Y," singer Andy Williams purchased the "W," and Alice Cooper bought an "O" for Groucho Marx. According to LAist, "The others who pitched in were: publisher Terrence Donnelly, movie producer Giovanni Mazza, Les Kelley of the Kelley Blue Book, Angels owner Gene Autry, Warner Bros. Records, and businessman Dennis Lidtke. . . . The group are known as the 'Hollywood Nine.'"

You Can't Legally Get Near the Hollywood Sign Anymore

Though there may have been a time when you could get close to the giant letters on Mount Lee, that's no longer the case. The sign is now guarded by security cameras, a razor-wire fence, motion sensors, and microphones.

The Sign Is a Historical Landmark

In 1973, the Hollywood sign was declared a historical landmark by the city's Cultural Heritage Board.

The Land Around the Sign Is Protected

If you've ever wondered why there are no homes or buildings anywhere near the Hollywood sign, there's a reason for that. Howard Hughes purchased 138 acres near the sign in 1940 with the intention of building a home. It never happened, but he remained the land owner. His estate ended up selling the land in 2002, and movie studios, actors, and various foundations raised over $12 million to purchase it from the investment firm and keep it as protected park land.

The Color of the Sign Isn't Just "White"

In 2013, Sherwin-Williams repainted the entire Hollywood sign. It took 255 gallons of paint — in the color High Reflective White. Painters stripped off all the previous layers of paint before the refurbishment, and you can see a time-lapse of the project here.