Before Hollywood was the entertainment capitol of the world, it was home to barns, citrus groves, pioneers, and stray camels.  The only stars there were the ones in the sky at night.  By 1910, barns were being converted into studios and the quiet nights in Hollywood were over.  Hollywood conjures visions of fame and glitter and much of it still exists among these treasured and historic sites.  Of most of these, nothing comes to mind more than the famous Hollywood sign.  The Hollywood Sign sits atop Mt. Lee in Griffith Park  The Sign was built in 1923 to read "Hollywoodland" by a syndicate of notables such as Harry Chandler of the Los Angeles Times, in order to promote the sale of homes in one of the era's most prestigious subdivisions by the same name.  The sign was expected to last a year and a half.  This land was located at the end of Beachwood Canyon just below what is now Mt. Lee. The home which was originally to be at the highest homesite had been sold to and designed for Mack Sennett, but the house was never built. Instead, the property was passed on to the Don Lee Broadcasting Company and later was acquired by the City as an addition to Griffith Park.  The original cost was $21,000. The letters were 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall, and were studded with low wattage light bulbs, 4,000 altogether.  Maintenance of the Sign was discontinued in 1939. Late in 1944, the M. H. Sherman Company, developers of the Hollywoodlands, donated to the City of Los Angeles about 455 acres of land adjoining Griffith Park, which property included the Sign.  In 1945, the "land" in Hollywoodland was removed from the sign.  In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce entered into a contract with the Department of Recreation and Parks to repair and rebuild the Sign. The cost was estimated to be $4,000. The light bulbs had long before been stolen, and the City stipulated that any new illumination would be at the expense of the Chamber. Restored, the sign now read "Hollywood," and the legend of the sign being a mogul to the entertainment industry in tinsle town began.

By early 1978, the sign had seriously started to deteriorate.  A fundraising campaign was launched in April of 1978 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to rebuild the Sign.   Donors contributed $27,700 each to buy a replacement letter.   Work to rebuild the Sign began in August of 1978 and was finished by November. The remains of the old Sign were demolished and new all-steel letters were installed in its place.  The new Hollywood Sign was unveiled live on November 14, 1978, on Hollywood's 75th anniversary, nationally televised on CBS-TV's "Hollywood Diamond Jubilee" to a television audience of 60 million.

The sign today stretches 450 feet across the side of Mount Lee, and stands 45 feet tall. It weighs 480,000 pounds.  The primary responsibility for the maintenance and preservation of the Sign rests with the Hollywood Sign Trust. The trustees are named by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Los Angeles.

It is illegal and highly dangerous to make alterations to the Sign. Although the City in the past has allowed it on occasion for commercial purposes, current City policy does not permit changes to be made, due to neighborhood opposition and accidents that have occurred in the past.   However, a great deal of interest has been shown in some of the times that the Sign was unofficially altered. Some of the more famous illegal modifications have included: 
HOLYWOOD - September 1987, for Pope John Paul II's arrival
OLLYWOOD - July 1987, during Iran-Contra hearings
CALTECH - May 1987, on Hollywood's 100th birthday
FOX - April 1987, promotion for the TV network
HOLLYWOOD II - April 1986, to mark revitalization of area
RAFFEYSOD - January 1985, meaning never determined
HOLLYWEED - December 1983, for a movie filming
GO NAVY - November 1983, before a game at the Rose Bowl
HOLLYWEED - January 1976, noting new state marijuana law

TRIVIA:
On On Sunday September 18, 1932, actress Peg Enwhistle flug herself ffrom the letter "H" of the Hollywood sign.  You can read about it
here.
THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN