Once the landscape was prepared, construction began on homes which were restricted to styles with a European influence--French, Tudor, Mediterranean, and Spanish. A historical postcard of Warner Bros. West Coast Studios on Sunset Boulevard. Photo via Los Angeles Public Library (date unknown), Photo via Los Angeles Public Library (1935), Photo by Julius Shulman via Getty Research Institute (1967), Hollywoodland advertisement and map. But in 1932, she jumped off the H, despondent over a going-nowhere film career. Hollywoodland: Established 1923. This Big Bang decade began with some satisfying chest-beating for Los Angeles: In June 1920, L.A. at last overtook San Francisco as the most populous city in California. Lee, just above the town of Hollywood. The 50-ft.-tall lettering, which was lit by thousands of flashing light bulbs, was erected as an advertisement not for the movie-making mecca, but for a housing development called Hollywoodland. If you were an existing customer, you would begrandfatheredin until September. Today, the Sign is poised to celebrate it 100th Anniversary in 2023 when Hollywoods biggest star receives accolades from fans around the world.+ Read More. In 1930, a Black man sued seven L.A. restaurants, El Cholo and the Brown Derby among them, for refusing to serve him when he accompanied his elderly, infirm, white employer into the cafes. I immediately procured a marvelous site overlooking Los Angeles and planned myself a home.. Click to reveal Los Angeles, however, is different. Ed. Lead developer, Tracy Shoults, died suddenly of heart disease in his Hollywoodland office, never ultimately seeing the fruits of his labor. Intended to last just 18 months, the Sign has endured nearly 100 years.+ Read More, Mount Lee, the home of the Hollywood Sign, is named for an entrepreneur who transformed a ridge in Griffith Park into one of the most important sites in television history. Hefner held a gala at his mansion and auctioned each letter to celebrity attendees, including musicians Alice Cooper and Gene Autry. But the hubris was bound to hit; the bubble was bound to burst. At the end of Beachwood Drive was a small commercial area, containing a gas station, market, and drug store. Butler was a child of the influential City Beautiful movement of the early 20th century, a civic philosophy that believed that beautiful public buildings and spaces helped to elevate people and institutions to be beautiful themselves aesthetically, socially and morally. In the early 1970s, it was declared a city monument. Web. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Its purpose was to advertise the name of the new segregated housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. But preservation and ornamentation were goals the developers placed . 26 Nov. 2018. In classic Hollywood fashion, newsreel and press cameras were on the scene to watch at a safe distance as the hill literally melted under the force of the tremendous explosion. In fact, some have praised the fact that the types of construction equipment available today were not in existence at the time of the Hollywoodland development, otherwise the hills may have been completely flattened altogether. These two men, along with LA Times publisher, Harry Chandler, and developers, Tracy E. Shoults and S. H. Woodruff, formed a syndicate that would establish the Hollywoodland development in 1923. The landmark sales office was also the site when tragedy struck in July 1923. Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon lights ablaze for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis. The 50-foot high and 400-foot long sign was replaced by donations from nine public . Hollywood Sign Timeline 1923: The sign is built as a huge advertisement for the Hollywoodland real estate development. In 1938, the Don Lee Network purchased a 20-acre site behind the Hollywood Sign and built a state-of-the-art broadcast studio and transmission tower that could reach the San Fernando Valley and more. The Hollywood area was relatively quiet until 1907. El Cholo, the Spanish Caf, began dishing up Mexican food and drink for the carriage trade, with margaritas so enticing that an ex-con on the lam supposedly dared to come back to his L.A. haunts to drink just one more. Unfortunately, Peg failed to make a splash, and on September 18, she hiked to the Hollywood Sign, climbed 50 feet to the top of the H, and plunged to her death. Within a few months, 120 lots had already been sold at a total price of about $850,000. Hollywoodland is a 2006 American mystery drama film directed by Allen Coulter and written by Paul Bernbaum. Print. During this time, LA real estate moguls, Eli P. Clark and Gen. Moses H. Sherman, who were instrumental in the development of the electric railcar system in LA, owned a large tract of land at the base of the Hollywood Hills which they dubbed the Sherman & Clark Ranch. With the growing population of LA, Sherman and Clark seized the opportunity to subdivide their then-undeveloped land into a new residential district. The earliest found mention of the Sign appeared on December 14, 1923 in a Holly Leaves article about the Mulholland Highway soon to be built, which would extend from from the western end of the (Griffith Park) road, under the electric sign of Hollywoodland, around Lake Hollywood and across the dam., Just two weeks later another Los Angeles Timesarticle (December 30, 1923) with the headline Hollywood Electric Sign Reached by Car, reported on actor Harry Nevilles epic, experimental trip to test whether a motorcar could reach the Sign on the unpaved grade, and whether the cars brakes would work on the precipitous path down. Amid laser beams and searchlights, the new \"Hollywood\" sign near the top of Mt. Hollywoodland contains many special features and sophisticated homes that attract artists and celebrities, and has served as a filming location for movies and . Dozens of Parisian artists deplored the unsightly new Eiffel Tower, which was meant to be torn down after 20 years, anyway. Original cost of the Hollywood Sign and the Riding Academy Building. Originally erected as "Hollywoodland", as an advertisement to lure real estate investors in 1923 has now become a major symbol of Los Angeles that has seen tragedy, many facelifts, and even. But what really caught my eye was that big white dot. Beachwood Market. In 1923, Harry Chandler, a Los Angeles Times publisher, also ran a real estate development company, and this time, they are setting their sights on luxury clients. Over 175,000 people attended what was called the global jukebox. The Hollywood sign was still in bad shape even after a refurbishment during the 1940s. W hen the Hollywood Sign was built in 1923, there was little hint that it would become an iconic emblem. The year 1923 amounted to a civic "Big Bang," a pinpoint event whose reverberations reach us today. ProQuest. The developers even used [e]ight thousand pounds of dynamite to demolish a granite hillside. It was flimsily made with wooden panels anchored by telephone poles, so it regularly blew over. The Automobile Club of Southern California opened its magnificent headquarters in 1923, an exceptionally handsome building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with a fine courtyard for cars, of course and church-worthy ceilings. The Hollywood Sign, created in 1923 to promote the new real estate development Hollywoodland, is the most visible representation of an elegant neighborhood now known as Beachwood Canyon. "Display Ad 321 -- no Title." 8 Oct. 2018. After Shoults death, the syndicate continued on with Woodruff at the helm. At night the sign lit up with four phrases, first lighting up Holly, then wood, then land. In the end, it flashed the entire name Hollywoodland, for as far as the eye could see, according to the History website. But its origins actually have very little to do with the glamour it still stands for the sign was erected in 1923 as an advertisement for local real estate. 1923 held out other promises, too. The Hollywoodland sign was first illuminated on Saturday, December 8th, 1923 so going by the fact that there appears to be only one house in sight, I think we're safe in saying that this photo is from 1924. Its hard to know what actress Peg Entwistles teeth were like. Web. 26 Nov. 2018. Lee was bare for three months, but a new sign would soon be erected. If they were a starlets teeth, they would long since have been straightened out by studio dentists. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99. Emboldened by her Broadway success, the ambitious young actress sether sights on the silver screen. Feel free to call him @ 608-205-4378. The Sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart. He described the follow-up system in which he said 50,000 folders were sent out. In 89, Disney Studios began a museum-grade rehabilitation of the El Capitan Theater. A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. Only a few years ago Figueroa Street was the exclusive residential section, then West Adams, then Wilshire Boulevard. Though some found this characterization to simply refer to keeping LA economically prosperous, its difficult to separate the racial implications when put in this historical context. However, Hollywoodland cannot simply be reduced to the pastoral and idyllic community that it touted itself to be. More than two decades later, the last four letters would be dropped . Filmmakers and distributors responded with a series of gimmicks: wider screens, 3-D, Technicolor, stereo sound, even free dishes. However, by the early '40s, the Hollywoodland real estate development went bust. 10, 1923, p. 1. The neighborhood of Hollywoodland began in 1923 when two developers purchased 500 acres of land nestled at the foot of Mt. Dates and debates swirl about when the Hollywoodland Real Estate development and the massive electric sign that advertised it actually came into being. A sign advertises the opening of the Hollywoodland housing development in the hills on Mulholland Drive overlooking Los Angeles, Hollywood, circa 1924. Mulholland Hwy. By the end of the 19th century Hollywood was a town with a name inspired by Daeida Wilcox, wife of Hollywood founder Harvey Wilcox.+ Read More, All was quiet until 1907, when bad weather drove a small Chicago film company westward to complete a shoot. Not until 1980 was Spanish origin a separate census category, so 1920 numbers did not reflect how many Latinos lived here. The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" and cost $21,000 to construct. Photo via hollywoodsign.org At night the billboard flashed in four stages: "Holly," then "Wood," then "Land" and then the entire word, "Hollywoodland." Newspaper articles from the time show that the sign was completed in. Studios, meanwhile, sprung up like wildfires and engaged in a cutthroat battle for survival. In eastern cities the fine residential areas change very slowly; in fact in most of the eastern cities, the fine home section has not changed to any great extent in many years. The dedication of the Hollywoodland Sign in 1923 Photograph Courtesy Bruce Torrence The Hollywodland Sign illuminated by thousands of tiny light bulbs in the 1930s Photograph Courtesy Bruce. Actors and actresses came to the city to turn dreams into reality. Photo via Los Angeles Public Library (1924). With that, the price would be doubled $8 for 2 DVD rental plan and $8 for streaming. When the Hollywood Sign was built in 1923, there was little hint that it would become an iconic emblem. 2011 CEO Reed Hastings announced a bombshell that, in turn, brought on Netflixs single worst year ever. The Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles has been an international landmark since its debut in 1923. 24 Sep. 2018. 2011 - CEO Reed Hastings announced a bombshell that, in turn, brought on Netflix's single worst year ever. Photo via California State Library (1928). With characteristic resilience, Hollywood soon managed a successful transition to the small screen. Built by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as a $21,000 billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real estate development, the Sign soon took on the role of giant marquee for a city that was constantly announcing its own gala premiere. 26 Nov. 2018. A view in November 2000 of some of the nine bridges over the L.A. River designed by Merrill Butler. blogging, bob geldof, day in tech history, DVD, hollywood, John F. Kennedy Stadium, live aid, London, Microsoft, Midge Ure, netflix, philadelphia, Podcast, Qwikster, RSS, technology history, United States, wembly stadium According to the article, A motley crowd of hillclimbers, workmen, salesmen and curiousity thrill-seekers stood by with fear and trembling as the loose dirt began to give way but Neville stuck by the ship to make it safely back to the wide smooth roads of Hollywoodland., There has also been debate about whether the Sign was originally erected without lights (with the thousands of bulbs added later). Even if you're not from Wisconsin, you can be part of the Sconnie Geek Nation through my coverage! A couple in a convertible overlooking Los Angeles from Mulholland Drive on July 15, 1951. On investigation, I found that while Hollywoodland is but a few moments from downtown Los Angeles, and only a few blocks from Hollywood Boulevard; its beautiful setting in the hills gives it the clean, pure atmosphere and the safety for children of a country estate. Oil soon joined oranges and movies as a principal Southern California export, putting the filth in filthy rich. (Inconceivably, 99 years later, the city of Los Angeles banned new wells and ordered the phasing-out of old ones.). The Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.Originally the Hollywoodland Sign, it is situated on Mount Lee, in the Beachwood Canyon area of the Santa Monica Mountains.Spelling out the word Hollywood in 45-foot-tall (13.7 m) white uppercase letters and 350 feet (106.7 m) long, it was originally created in 1923 as a temporary . By June 1923, only ten weeks after the opening, $250,000 had already been spent on improvements (approximately $3.7m in 2019 dollars), 300,000 cubic yards of land had been moved, and seven miles of road had been built. She packed her bags for Hollywood and moved in with her uncle in the shadow of the Hollywood Sign. The sign was shortened to Hollywood where it stands overlooking LA. For instance, a Hollywoodland ad in the Los Angeles Times (June 10, 1923) states that the real estate development launched in late March of that year and that by June, 200 men were employed, 7 miles of road had been cut and 300,000 cubic yards of dirt had been moved. During the 1940s, the signs regular upkeep stopped and became the citys property after the Hollywoodland real estate development went under, mainly due to The Great Depression. Photo via Los Angeles Public Library (1924). In one LA Times article from November 1925, an LA attorney who recently purchased a home in Hollywoodland explained this feeling in greater detail: I realize that the place in which to make strong, healthy men and women of my kiddies was not in an apartment, but in the great out-of-doors, yet my business was such that I could not leave the city for the advantages of a country estate. It was happenstance, not foresight. Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler built this $21,000 (over $250,000 in today's money) billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real estate . Jeffrey Powers @geekazine According to Adweek, Hollywoodland was actually a subdivision of tract houses and the sign was a billboard for the development. DeLario was responsible for designing the stone gates and many of the new homes in the community. It was a year before MGM formed and Columbia Pictures took its name. The rise of the film aristocracy meant new restaurants, nightclubs and extravagant movie palaces in Hollywood.+ Read More, Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and an aspiration, was crowned when the Hollywoodland sign was erected in 1923. For the better part of a century, the block lettering has reigned over Los Angeles as an iconic mark of industry. Some of the ballyhoo turned to boohoo. Please attempt to sign up again. Photo via Hollywoodland: Established 1923. In order to build miles of road, as well as the new tracts where houses would be constructed, developers carved the landscape with a combination of mule drawn graders and steam shovels. Built by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as an epic $21,000 billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real . The LAND was hauled down to exorcise the signs commercial origins. Web. The Sign had made an unheralded transition from billboard to de facto civic landmark, but salvation would have to wait until after the War.+ Read More, The film industrys high profile made it vulnerable in the postwar climate of anti-liberal hysteria. 19, 1923, p. 1. And 1923 was the year that the city of L.A. did us all a favor by hiring Merrill Butler. This L.A. was the self-invented mirage city of unflagging ballyhoo. 04, 1993, p. 2. 1985: Live Aidwas firstheld. It changed from "Hollywoodland" to just "Hollywood," was almost destroyed before being saved by Playboy's Hugh Hefner, and starting this week in 1978 . The Original Griffith Park Grant. The irony of these grand ambitions is the enduring legacy of the Hollywoodland Sign itself, which represented a rather crass relief to the high-quality houses and roads snaking up lush canyons below. In 1920-21, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce created maps designating business conditions around the country--areas shaded black were bad, grey was fair, and white was good. On this map, LA was literally a white spot among areas shaded in black and grey, leading Harry Chandler to dub Los Angeles as The White Spot of America. The term caught on and by 1924 the phrase Keep the White Spot White was used throughout the city. Crime soared, and the towns storied boulevards were ravaged by urban decay. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. "Display Ad 263 -- no Title." In its real estate days, the sign must have looked as tacky as a roadside honky-tonk, each letter framed in light bulbs that, as Ive read, sequentially flashed Holly then Wood then Land.. And yet no matter how the area continues to change, the community seems to always remain a unique little village all to itself. Ever been on a plane flying into L.A. and seen that rush of foreign tourists unbuckling themselves in spite of the fasten seat belts sign to scuttle across the aisle for a look at the Hollywood sign? July 13, 2015, Subscribe! "They didn't consider it a permanent structure,'' film historian Leonard Maltin told the New York Post. Meanwhile, Hollywoods once-proud Sign now served as a glaring badge of dis-honor rusted, dilapidated, soon to literally crumble under its own weight. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum opened in 1923, a hometown project that assumed international renown, a venue for one, then two, and now soon to be three Olympic Games. In 2012, the Trust worked with Sherwin Williams to give the Hollywood Sign a complete makeover. On July 13, 1923, a sign consisting of 50-foot-tall letters spelling out "HOLLYWOODLAND" was dedicated in the Hollywood Hills to promote a subdivision. Its freedom from fear. Lee in the Hollywood Hills to create a three-dimensional billboard for his upscale neighborhood, Hollywoodland, in 1923. In 1920, the L.A. County population was about 90% white, about 2% Black, with a Japanese population slightly more than that, and about 2,500 Chinese. The effect was truly spectacular, particularly for pre-Vegas sensibilities. Yet in a wonderful kind of recurring satire on L.A. life and traffic for they are inextricable the very next year, that very same corner turned out to be the most congested intersection in the nation. Will your family enjoy a delightful home in the clean, pure mountain air of Hollywoodland or will you live in a dwelling in the flat, uninteresting houses-in-a-row sections of the City, your familys freedom hampered by this maelstrom of existence? The not-so-thinly veiled fear-mongering, as well as the racist and classist language in these Hollywoodland ads, cannot be ignored. Since then, the sign has received fresh coats of white paint. Back in 1923, developers Woodruff and Shoults envisioned the new neighborhood sitting on the side of the Hollywood Hills - the location of George Cukor's gay pool parties, . Ground was broken on the Mulholland Highway, the spectacular scenic road skimming along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains, ultimately from Hollywood to the sea, meant to be L.A. Countys version of the Pacific Coast Highway. In one advertisement from January 1924, Hollywoodland is shown as an open expanse gleaming above the congested streets of downtown with the slogan above the turmoil of the city. This combination of the natural beauty of the Hollywood hills, while still being close to the conveniences of the city made Hollywoodland an easy sell. Don Lee was a businessman who launched L.A.s W6XAO in 1931. By 1949, with the bulbs long since burned out and the sign battered by weather, the city decided to replace the original with a new sign that was four letters shorter, advertising not housing but the California silver-screen dream. The sign read OLLYWOODLAND briefly because the H fell over. Newspaper display advertising, he said, is the foundation of all publicity used to bring business., Hollywoodlands extensive use of print advertising is evident throughout the early years of development. The Hollywoodland sign remained in place throughout the great depression and World War II, but by the end of the 1940s had fallen into disrepair. The state's gold has since been drained, and the quest for perfect health has spread to rest of the country. Web. Beachwood Plaza (date unknown). At its inception, Hollywoodland offered its residents several amenities including the Hollywoodland bus--an 8-passenger Model A Ford that ferried residents from their homes to the stone gate entrance--as well as two tennis courts, a putting green, and horse stables where stable hands once delivered horses directly to residents doors. The latest Hollywood sign was the same size as its predecessor. All Rights Reserved. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Griffith Observatory features close-up views of the Hollywood Sign as well as the City of Los Angeles. A Sign Is Born - 1923. Old barns were converted into sound stages and approximately 15 independent studios were shooting various projects in the city. The entrance to Hollywoodland is located at 2700 N. Beachwood Drive in Los Angeles. It was erected in 1923 for $21,000 (17,000) and originally. It was more than just an eye-catching decoration; it was a political statement. You can stop in for a cup of coffee at the Beachwood Cafe, say hello to a neighbor, and check the bulletin board outside for a missing cat or neighborhood event. The whole shebang land and sign was given or sold to the city, which didnt have as much regard for the monument as the tourists did. The Eiffel Tower punches more than a thousand feet into the Parisian air; the Statue of Liberty lofts its torch to 305 feet above New York Harbor. Hopeful actors and actresses filled the streets, dazzled by a new American dream: film stardom. 01, 1923, p. 1. The construction cost of the sign was around $21,000, which is roughly the . The 50-foot high and 400-foot long sign was replaced by donations from nine public donors totaling $250,000. For all of San Franciscans pluck and verve, the 1906 earthquake had dealt a suppurating blow to the city, and capital and people were making their way to L.A. Web. "Display Ad 93 -- no Title." Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Los Angeles Postcard (Read Description) 1923 Hollywoodland at the best online prices at eBay! In fact, the sign didn't even say "Hollywood." The 50-ft.-tall lettering, which was. Few know that a giant white dot (35 feet in diameter, with 20-watt lights on the perimeter) was constructed below the Sign to catch the eye. As Hollywoodlands sales manager George R. Hannan stated in 1926: As a result of the tremendous progress and the growth of Los Angeles, its residential districts have shifted more rapidly than in any other city in America. In Wisconsin, friends are called "Sconnies". 16 Dec. 2018. And while some sources still cite that the Sign was born in 1924, the correct date is indisputably 1923. Simultaneously, film studios were popping up on every corner, with some companies merging to become heavy hitters in the burgeoning film industry, which amassed 40 million American filmgoers in a span of five years. You can unsubscribe at any time. By 1948, box office receipts plummeted 45% from wartime highs due to television. Ironically, according to the History website, a letter was mailed to Entwistle a day before her death, offering her the lead role in a film about a woman who kills herself. According to the Hollywood Sign website, other companies followed, including the Nestor Film Company, which is regarded as the first real studio in the area, according to a Hollywood sign history timeline. The state's gold has since been drained, and the quest for perfect health has spread to rest of the country. The Hollywood Sign 's been through some stuff. The hero hasnt even set foot here when hes buttonholed on his westward-bound train by an L.A. man delivering a relentless monologue: Want me to tell you why theyre boosters? Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), Dec. 30, 1923, p. 1. The red neon letters spelling Outpost mark the original birthplace of Hollywood as a performers town. There's no precise record of when developers first put the letters, which originally read HOLLYWOODLAND, on the hill. Magazines, Digital Tracy E. Shoults and S. H. Woodruff, the developers, envisioned Hollywoodland as an elegant throwback to old California. L.A. is not alone in resisting its landmarks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. With the sales office in place, Woodruff hired an entire publicity team led by L. J. Burrud as the Hollywoodland advertising manager. Its because Los Angeles delivers the goods. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. You can also Contact Jeffrey: Tech History Blog & Podcast 365 days a year, July 13, 1923: HollywoodLand Sign is Dedicated, January 30, 2004: Gateway Acquires eMachines, January 29, 2014: Google Sells Motorola Mobility, Ulanzi BG-3 Battery Handle for my Insta360, GoChess, Cooler Master, Paula Abdul Geekazine CES 2023 Shorts, Microsoft is found to violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, Staten Island girl falls into a manhole after IMing on her phone. In 1924, among the thousands of Black Americans moving west was a Texas sharecropper family named Bradley. Underwood Archives / Getty Images. Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com. The freshly painted Hollywood sign on Oct. 4, 2022. Over the next decade, this man, who studied engineering by correspondence course, was responsible for the nine exquisite bridges that spanned the L.A. River in the years before it was paved. Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and approximately 43 feet tall, constructed of 39 metal squares rigged together by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles. Emboldened by early 20th century court decisions in California and the U.S. Supreme Court, communities across LA restricted home ownership to prevent inclusion of non-whites, such as a 1920s Eagle Rock ad overtly proclaiming that [r]esidents of Eagle Rock are all of the White or Caucasian Race. Even legendary singer Nat King Cole could not prevent pervasive racism after purchasing his family home in LAs upscale Hancock Park in the 1940s. The sign was created as a marketing tactic for a new housing development that would be called "Hollywoodland", likely named after the California holly growing in the area. People bought there, people built there, and when the real estate company folded, the sign that was meant to stand for 18 months soldiered on into decrepitude for years. By 1915, Hollywood was emerging as an entertainment capital. Its 40,000 blinking light bulbs advertised a new housing development built to accommodate the city's surging population, which more than doubled during the 1920s to become the fifth largest in the country, as the city drew people from all over the country for its weather, open spaces and jobs. Geekazine covers consumer tech, enterprise tech, music tech, and video tech. In fact, 1923 L.A. was quite a different place for some of the people who lived in it. L.A.s political and artistic leaders were inclined to sanitize the deep Mexican/Californio historical presence, and repurpose it into a romanticized version of itself. MONA GABLE SPECIAL TO,THE TIMES. Paraphrasing Electrical Products Corporation President Paul Howse, Hollywoodland not only conceived the largest electrical sign in the world in 1923, but one that now serves as the iconic representation of Hollywood and its film industry while also reigning as Los Angeles' most popular tourist attraction today Share this: Twitter Facebook Email