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What's Next, The H?! Two Bronze 'Hollywoodland' Signs Stolen From Beachwood Canyon
Photo by TooMuchFire via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
For months, residents of Beachwood Canyon have been at odds over signs "pointing tourists to a place where the iconic Tinseltown symbol can be viewed and photographed," notes the L.A. Times. The directional aides served some relief to the homeowners near the locked fire road that leads to the historic Hollywood sign by re-routing the headache of sightseers and noisy tour buses to neighboring streets. It's not surprising that the signs "mysteriously disappeared," notes the L.A. Times, continuing, "Whether that's a crime depends on which street you live on."
Now, a new indisputable crime involving another set of signs has unfortunately occurred. Two historic 1923 bronze 'Hollywoodland' plaques in the stone gateway of Beachwood Canyon have been stolen, reports the L.A. Times. The 18-by-24-inch commemorative pieces are community touchstones, and neighborhood theorists are pointing the finger at tourists "because the popularity of GPS devices has soared and droves of visitors are sent daily into Beachwood Canyon, thinking they can actually walk to the Hollywood sign." Scrap metal scavengers are second on the non-scientific list of suspects, heck maybe it was those hooligans over at Outpost Estates or one of those secret stairway climbers!
Authorities and concerned citizens are watching sites like eBay and Craigslist and Hollywood historian Greg Williams said "he figures the plaques were swiped to be melted down. He said police would not take a report from residents over the weekend because the gateway is considered city property," reports the L.A. Times.
Sarajane Schwartz, president of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Assn., said the plaques' theft is only one example of lawlessness the neighborhood has recently experienced. Anti-Semitic and anti-gay slurs were painted on a wall over the weekend, and the tourists' directional signs were taken. "And our homeowners association email was hijacked and illegal emails sent out," she said. Schwartz was critical of what she described as efforts by the city "to designate our neighborhood as a tourism area. We're really mystified by that."
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