The Hollywood Sign Trust now accepts online donations via our website. The Hollywood Sign Trust is a 501c3 charity and all donations are tax deductible.
Click here to make a tax deductible donation to the Hollywood Sign Trust. All the money goes towards maintaining the Sign.
City Council today approved Councilmember David Ryu’s motion to allocate $51,320 in discretionary funds for increased security around the Hollywood Sign for the spring break holiday season between March 23 and April 2, 2018. Anticipating increased tourism and activity around the sign during this time, Councilmember Ryu’s approved motion will fund increased patrols by Traffic Enforcement and Police officers.
Dodger stadium has made an interesting proposal to elevate traffic during the busy baseball season – a gondola! It isn’t the first time, Los Angeles has turned to the skies for ideas to reduce congestion on the roads. There have been several proposals to build a gondola to view the Hollywood Sign.
Click here for the article about Dodger stadium’s new proposal.
A small brush fire was lit close to the Griffith Observatory. The fire is a reminder to be careful during LA’s dry, hot summer while inside the park. Avoid open flames like cigarettes, camp fires, or fireworks. Any spark can lead to a massive fire.
Click here to read about the incident.
The Sign does not have a birthday, it has a birthYEAR but not a birthDAY. Since the Sign started as a billboard, no records were kept about the day it was unveiled. The Internet seems to think the Sign’s birthday is July 13th but that is unconfirmed. We do have confirmation that it was built in 1923 but the exact day is unknown.
The Hollywood Reporter did a story about the moment in history when Hugh Hefner stepped up and raised the funds to keep the Hollywood Sign.
Click here for the article.
The City’s Arts, Entertainment, Parks & Rivers Committee unanimously approved strategies to improve safety, traffic and mobility around the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park. The report was spearheaded by Council District 4 and began as a study by Dixon Resources Unlimited, commissioned by CD4. According to the press release, the approved report includes instructions for various City departments to initiate safety improvements for Hollywood Sign viewing and Griffith Park access points. It also instructs departments to establish rideshare pick-up and drop-off zones, begin an environmental review of an electric shuttle bus route and conduct a feasibility study of an aerial tram to the Hollywood Sign. The report and instructions now go to City Council for a full vote.
You can read the Los Feliz Ledger coverage here.
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a report out of the Arts, Entertainment Parks & Rivers committee on 19 strategies proposed by Dixon Resources Unlimited to improve safety, access & mobility around the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park. The approval today allows City Departments to study the feasibility on various safety, traffic and park access improvements around the iconic Sign.
Read the press release here.
The Hollywood Sign Trust has put out an extended new and improved history PDF of the Hollywood Sign. Click here to download the document.
Councilmember Ryu announced increased enforcement by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Department of Recreation and Parks Park Rangers around the Hollywood Sign during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. Click here for more information.
Interested in learning more about the Hollywood Sign. Check out our resident historian Leo Braudy’s book “The Hollywood Sign: Fantasy and Reality of an American Icon (Icons of America)” Click here to purchase.
While it’s the rainy season in Los Angeles, please be aware of the weather when making hiking plans. Even if it might not be raining at this exact moment, heavy rains in the recent past might mean washed out trails, muddy paths, and fogged out views.
Please be aware of road closures happening to and from the Griffith Observatory:
VISITOR NOTICE FOR FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 29
Vehicle access to/from Griffith Observatory will be via temporary two-way traffic on West Observatory Road, due to work on East Observatory Road. Expect congestion.
The Griffith Observatory is making updates in the near future that will affect visitors and the traffic in the park. Please note the closure dates listed below:
VISITOR NOTICE FOR APRIL 22 – MAY 6
Griffith Observatory will be CLOSED for these two weeks to complete essential visitor access improvement projects.
VISITOR NOTICE FOR FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 29
Vehicle access to/from Griffith Observatory will be via temporary two-way traffic on West Observatory Road, due to work on East Observatory Road. Expect congestion.
PLEASE NOTE: The hilltop roads (East and West Observatory Roads and the parking lot) will be closed the entire time of the building closure, April 22 – May 6. There will be no vehicles access to the Observatory grounds whatsoever. The normal DASH bus service will stop at the Greek Theatre. People may walk up, but it will be a small subset of the normal visitor base. And, on certain days, pedestrians will not be allowed access, due to the presence of a large crane and work that would not be safe for visitors. Western Canyon and Vermont will be open on most days. However, on selected days those roads will be closed for work at those intersections. Rec and Parks will post special notices.
For more information, click here.
Happy 100th Birthday to another Hollywood legend, Musso & Frank Grill! The famous dining establishment has served actors, directors, writers, and of course tourists for longer than the Sign has been alive. Despite all the famous people who come here, the true celebrity is their martini.
Click here to hear a story about their 100th birthday.
The Hollywood Sign is now on Instagram. Follow the Sign at @HollywoodSign23.
The Griffith Observatory DASH Bus that runs from the Vermont/Sunset metro stop to the Observatory is expanding their service. Beginning August 5,, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., buses will run every 20 minutes and will not serve the Greek Theater or Griffith Observatory.
Beginning at 10 a.m., buses will run every 15 minutes until 10 p.m., covering the entire route including the Greek Theater and Griffith Observatory.
Weekends and Holidays, the DASH bus service will begin at 10 a.m. and run every 15 minutes until 10 p.m., covering the entire route. Please click here for more information.
More security will be at the Hollywood Sign during the July 4th weekend to improve the flow of traffic and control crowds that want to take a picture at the Sign. Click here to read about the improvements spearheaded by council member David Ryu’s office. Interested in fun, safe way to view the Sign? Check out our Seeing the Sign page for our recommendations.
On September 26, 1949, the Hollywoodland Sign officially became the Hollywood Sign as the City of Los Angeles removed the LAND from the Hollywood Sign forever and rebuilt the H.
Long time Los Angeles Park Ranger and former Acting Chief Albert Torres died from a heart attack, Saturday, October 12. On Friday, Captain Torres worked a 14-hour shift patrolling the areas affected by the Saddleridge Fire before he collapsed at LAPR headquarters at the Griffith Park Visitor Center.
Captain Torres was a huge supporter of the Sign and taught us about the importance of protecting wildlife in the area. He helped us numerous times in the past and always responded immediately to calls for assistance. He shall be missed, and we send sympathy to Vicki and the Rec and Parks family. Click here to read more about his impressive 40 year career.
