Hugh Hefner Helps to Preserve the Hollywood Sign
The 138 acre property was owned by Fox River Financial Resources Inc, and the asking price was $12.5 million. When Hugh Hefner heard that a campaign to buy the site was short6 of $1 million, he helped to fund the shortfall, ensuring the successful purchase of the property and helping to preserve the sign.
Hugh Hefner has helped in the past as well, playing a major role back in 1978 to help restore the sign, which was in serious need of repair.
The famous Hollywood sign was originally erected in 1923 by the Hollywoodland real estate company, but it's fame spread as the success of Hollywood as a location for making movies grew, and the sign became an icon that is synonymous with the movie industry in the USA.
Howard Hughes once owned the peak, intending to build a love nest there for Ginger Rogers, but the wouldn't allow him, and the peak has remained unbuilt on and forgotten until 2002 when it was brought by a group of investors from Chicago.
Others who helped fund the purchase of Cahuenga Peak include The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts, CBS, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, The Walt Disney Company, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and over 27,000 people from social networking site Facebook also helped to support this move.
Hollywood Sign Trust Chairman Chris Baumgart stated that "The Hollywood Sign Trust and admirers from around the world thank Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Labonge for believing and not giving up on this campaign and Hugh Hefner for carrying our efforts across the finish line" according to Hollywoodsign.org.
The site will now become part of Griffith Park, which is already the largest municipal park in the USA.
I know that on my first visit to Los Angeles back in 1987, one of the sights that was on the top of my list of places to see was the Hollywood sign. It's been featured in so many movies, news items and documentaries, and it's especially good to know that this has now been saved for generations to come.
Sources:
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Published by Tony Payne
Tony Payne is a freelance writer who lives on the South Coast of England with his wife Debbie. He has worked in the IT Industry all his life, and has been writing on various sites for the last 10 years. T... View profile
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25 Comments
Post a CommentGlad he's found a new hobby in his old age.
I'm glad they're preserving the Hollywood sign; it's part of history.
Very good reporting.
Very interesting. (lol > Ellen)
Frankly I don't get all the hoopla over that ugly sign.
Glad the country has its priorities in order, lol
Hooray. It's iconic.
Good report on this.
heffner is a real american hero, he certainly changed a lot of things in his lifetiime
Same look, and same color? I've seen it a lot in my travels down to see my brother since I live in CA.