FROM WHERE DID THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN COME?The sign was originally erected back in 1923. At the time, it read "HOLLYWOODLAND" and had little to do with the film industry.
Harry Chandler, of the famous Chandler publishing family, paid ad man John Roche $21,000 to build the sign as part of his campaign to sell housing tracts in the area. If it had worked well, imagine all the signs we'd see today with our current sprawl problems!
Chandler insisted that the letters be at least 50' high and that 20 watt bulbs be placed 8" apart around each letter. To support the letters, telephone poles were dragged to the sight by mules. The sign was so big and bright that on a clear night, it could be seen from Catalina Island off the coast, 40 miles away.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce saved the sign from being torn down in the late 1940s and removed the "LAND" part.
The Hollywood Sign
Re: The Hollywood Sign
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