In 1906, a streetcar line was constructed in the Hollywood district down the middle of "Sandy Road". This lane was known as the "Rose City Line". The establishment of the streetcar route facilitated the growth of the suburb of Hollywood.
In 1923, Harry Chandler, a real estate agent and investor built the famous Hollywood Sign to advertise the area "Hollywoodland". The total expense for this advertisement was $21,000. Initially, it was built to last only for eighteen months. However, as of today, the Hollywood Sign has lasted for eighty years.
In 1939, four thousand twenty-watt bulbs were put to illuminate the signboard and a caretaker was appointed to maintain the same. The part of land, which included the "Hollywood" sign, was sold to the city of LA.
In 1949, the alphabets "L, A, N & D" were removed. The board has read "HOLLYWOOD" ever since 1949.
The alphabets of the signboard began to fall down. To restore the same, in 1978 an auction of the alphabets was held by Hugh Hefner, founder of the magazine "Playboy". This auction was held for a period of three months. Alice Cooper, American rock singer, sponsored the alphabet "O". Gene Autry and Paul Williams sponsored the alphabets "L" and "W" respectively.
In 1995, a trust known as "Hollywood Sign Trust" was set up to maintain the Hollywood sign.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-hollywood.html
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