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Happy 88th Birthday, Hollywood Sign!
Photo by Robbie via the LAist Featured Photos pool
On July 13, 1923, Harry Chandler, owner of the Los Angeles Times, "officially unveils a sign on Mount Lee in the Hollywood area of L.A. to advertise his new housing development nearby." It reads: HOLLYWOODLAND. The rest, as they say, is history.
Los Angeles, and the world, has had a love affair of sorts with the Hollywood Sign. It's the symbol of success, either out of reach, or achieved, for many. It calls to some Angelenos "home," while for tourists, it's a must-see destination on the trip itinerary. All that for a piece of advertising stuck on a hill.
There's much to know about the landmark, though its official site has mounds of information to peruse. Over the years, Hollywood itself has taken license with the use of the sign and its surrounding space, though, speaking of its surrounding place, the real estate near the sign has also made headlines.
Like any Hollywood dame of advanced age (and we're sorry, dear, for revealing your true one), she's had a few facelifts over the years, to ensure she can sit there, on the hill, in perpetuity.
Happy Birthday, Hollywood Sign!
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