Hooray for Hollywood

The iconic sign that hovers over the Los Angeles landscape got its own Hollywood ending this week, when Hugh Hefner made a last minute $900,000 donation to save it. The 138 acres of parkland that surrounded the sign were owned by Chicago developers who were interested in building on the site, and for the past two years, a coterie of L.A.’s celebrities and movie studios raised over $12.5 million to buy the land in an effort to preserve it. But they were still a bit short before “Hef” stepped in, just as he had 30 years earlier when the sign needed a refurbishment. Calling the sign “Hollywood’s Eiffel Tower,” he said he was “pleased to help preserve such an important cultural landmark.”

The Trust for Public Land, which coordinated the fundraising effort, has plans to donate Cahuenga Peak (where the sign is located) to the city, where it will become an extension of Griffith Park. The addition, said John Donnelly, Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Board, will “greatly enhance recreation opportunities for visitors and residents of Los Angeles and enhance wildlife corridors throughout the region.”

[BBC]
[NPR]
[Trust for Public Land]
[Los Angeles City Guide]

Photo: Trust for Public Land