A History of Hollywoodland and its Storybook Style Homes

 A History of Hollywoodland & Its Storybook Style Homes (theeastsideagent.com)

"An early enclave of Storybook Style exists right here in the heart of Los Angeles. The neighborhood of Hollywoodland began in 1923 when two developers purchased 500 acres of land nestled at the foot of Mt. Lee, just above the town of Hollywood. This was way back when before any houses dotted the hillside and the land was simply covered with oak trees, holly bushes, greasewood, and poppies. Ferns grew under the trees and there were natural springs where visitors would get their water. The developers laid out winding streets with steep hillside building lots ranging in price from $2,500 to $55,000. Imagine buying a hillside lot in that price range today! Here the developers planned to build a gated community of homes for the “movie people” who were just coming to prominence.

"To advertise their housing development, the Hollywood sign was erected. We, of course, all know the sign today but back in 1923 there were four more letters: L-A-N-D. The 13 letters were illuminated at night by 4,000 incandescent bulbs meant to shine so brightly they could be seen by all of Los Angeles below to build interest in the real estate development.

"Whatever happened to the sign’s final four letters? Well, LA legend has it that the in the late 1940s a landslide took out the L-A-N-D letters. While a fun story, sorry to say, that is not the case. In fact, only one of the sign’s letters collapsed in the 1940s: the H. Because by this time the sign was not being used to advertise real estate, it had fallen into disrepair. In January 1949 the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission ordered the sign demolished. But after the city council overruled the apparently unsentimental park commissioners, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce offered to restore the H if it could drop the L-A-N-D. Although the sign’s appearance has evolved over the years, its basic aspirational message remains the same: This is a place where magic is possible, where dreams can come true." . . . More...