Los Angeles landmark will be 100 years old next year. Before that, the “HOLLYWOOD” letters get a fresh coat of paint. / Hollywood Sign Restored with 1500 liters of paint
One of Los Angeles’ most famous landmarks, the huge “HOLLYWOOD” sign in the mountains above the film metropolis, is getting a new coat of paint. Around 1,500 liters of white paint are intended for the multi-week beautification campaign, the organization “Hollywood Sign Trust” announced on Thursday (local time).
From next week until the beginning of November, ten helpers will work on the 15 meter high and 140 meter long “HOLLYWOOD” lettering, just in time for the 100th anniversary in 2023.
The oversized letters “HOLLYWOODLAND” were erected in 1923 by a real estate brokerage firm as a publicity stunt in the then uninhabited hills. In 1949 the last four letters were removed. Today, the lettering is a popular selfie backdrop for many tourists.
Hollywood Sign Restored: Lettering is often modified
Occasionally, the landmark also has to be used for puns: Pope John Paul II was greeted in 1987 with “Holywood” (holy forest). Ten years earlier, proponents of a more liberal drug policy had changed “Hollywood” to “Hollyweed” – “weed” (herb) colloquially means marijuana. This happened again in 2017 in reference to the intoxicant legalized in California.
In 2021, the iconic hillside decoration briefly became “HOLLYBOOB” when unauthorized persons covered the letters W and D with tarps. “Boob” is the English word for the female breast. However, the police were quick to uncover the covered letters.
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