Hollywood Sign: then and now

1920s vs 2015 · Los Angeles, CA

NowThen

Then, 1920sThe sign when it still read HOLLYWOODLAND.Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · Source · resized

Today, 2015The white letters on the hillside above Hollywood. Photo from 2015.Photo: Thomas Wolf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source · resized

The story

The sign was built in 1923. It originally read "Hollywoodland." Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler built it as a billboard advertising his upscale Hollywoodland real estate development.

Each letter was about 43 feet tall and 30 feet wide. The original sign was lit by 4,000 20-watt light bulbs spaced 8 inches apart.

It was never meant to last. It became a symbol of the film industry that grew up around it.

Did you know? The original sign had 4,000 light bulbs.

Historians argue about this. Nothing big is disputed here. The popular guess is that it was built for the movie business, but it was built to sell houses.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidThe Hollywood Sign was first built as an advertisement for a housing development.
The Hollywood Sign Trust: Harry Chandler built it in 1923 to advertise Hollywoodland.
Not trueThe Hollywood Sign was built to honor the film industry.
It was a real estate billboard. Its meaning came later.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

Stamp it in person

Go there, answer the question that only someone standing at Hollywood Sign can answer, and add the stamp to your passport. Free, no sign-up.

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