Understatement just isnât Hollywoodâs style; it shouts its name from a good 15 miles away via the famous Hollywood sign. The conspicuously huge lettering is propped up in the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains and greets all who approach Hollywood. Now, as wildfires continue to rage throughout Los Angeles, could this iconic, 100-year-old landmark be at risk?
So far, multiple wildfires have destroyed roughly 29,000 acres in the city, according to the New York Times. At the time of publication, there have been five confirmed deaths. At least 2,000 buildings, including homes and businesses, have been burned to the ground, as well as notable landmarks like Will Rogersâs Historic Home and the Theatre Palisades. Major damage occurred in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, situated between Santa Monica and Malibu (where many waterfront homes were destroyed), and that wildfire is still not under control.
The Sunset fire broke out on Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, triggering an evacuation order and putting the Hollywood sign at risk. However, by Thursday morning, a Los Angeles fire department spokesperson called the Sunset fire âunder control.â
Is the Hollywood sign on fire?
The Hollywood sign has not caught fire at the time of this publication, despite AI-generated images showing otherwise circulating on social media. Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust, confirmed to Forbes that the sign is still intact.
How do you get to the Hollywood sign?
With each letter of the sign standing at 45 feet tall and more than 30 feet wide, you can hardly miss it. A closeup visit is not going to happen, however: âNo access to the Hollywood sign,â youâll read on smaller signs posted in the 4,300-acre Griffith Park on Mount Lee. If you do want to get a little closer to the giant letters, and avoid threat of arrest or a fine, take a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. You can get a great view of the sign from Brush Canyon Trail, for one.
How did the Hollywood sign get there?
In 1923, workers used mules to haul wood and sheet metal up the slope. There were originally four more letters than there are todayâthe sign used to read âHollywoodland.â It originated largely as a publicity stunt, dreamed up by real estate agents promoting property in the Hollywood Hills. Many wish today that it were lit up at night, as the original version of the sign was. Throughout the signâs decade of illumination, a German immigrant named Albert Kothe famously maintained its nearly 4,000 bulbs.
Tragic times for the Hollywood sign
The Hollywood sign has never stopped making headlines. In 1932, Peg Entwistle, an actress who was struggling to find work in Depression-era Hollywood, climbed up the âHâ and plunged to her death. The Great Depression also took its toll on the sign, which was neglected and weather-
beaten. In the 1940s, the City of Los Angeles took pity and assumed ownership. When they refurbished the sign, they removed the last four letters that spelled â-land.â
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to the rescue
In 1978, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to give the sign a makeover, replacing all the original letters with new ones made of steel girder beams and corrugated sheet metal. Holding a successful benefit gala in his mansion, Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner got celebrities to pay $27,700 for each new letter. Rock star Alice Cooper contributed toward a new âO,â while the Chamber itself donated the âYâ in Hefnerâs honor.
Real and fictitious disasters
Over time, the sign has had to endure a lot. Itâs survived earthquakes and brushfires as well as vandalism. In 1987, pranksters briefly recast the sign to read âHolywoodâ for the visit of Pope John Paul II. Other times, versions like âHollyweedâ and âOllywoodâ have suddenly appeared in the mountains. Itâs also a popular target of destruction in the movies, like in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow, where a tornado takes it out.
New plans for the Hollywood sign
The landmark is being preserved by the non-profit Hollywood Sign Trust, which is also currently planning a visitors center. And, just in time for its centennial, the sign has been given a new coat of 400 gallons of white paint.
This story originally appeared on AD Germany.
