Hollywood Sign Saved By Hugh Hefner

The iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles has been saved from development after Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner stepped in with a $970,000-dollar donation.
The fate of the famous sign nestled in the hills above Hollywood had been shrouded in uncertainty after investors who own land surrounding the giant white letters indicated plans to sell the land to developers.

Neighbors and preservationists felt that building homes above the world-famous sign would ruin the view and rob the public of access to the peak. The land, which sits behind the 45-foot-tall “H,” will be added to the adjacent Griffith Park, a 4,210-acre wilderness that is a favorite spot for hiking. Mr. Hefner has long been a supporter of the sign. In 1978, he helped raise money to rebuild it when it was dilapidated.

The campaign to acquire the land, called the Cahuenga Peak, attracted Hollywood heavyweights and longtime residents. Celebrities including Tom Hanks to Steven Spielberg donated money, while residents who live below the sign organized bake sales and community events to raise money.

Playboy founder Mr. Hefner thew US$900,000 into the pot, which pushed the amount of donations past the US$12.5-million needed to buy the 138-acre piece of land from a group of developers that expressed an interest in selling the land to build luxury homes (as if Hollywood actually needed more of those…). The site will now be protected the same way a national park would be, as it is now part of the famous Griffith Park.
It’s “the Hollywood ending we hoped for,” Schwarzenegger said, commenting that the sign had inspired him when he was growing up in his native Austria.

“It’s a symbol of dreams and opportunity,” he said. “The Hollywood sign will welcome dreamers, artists and Austrian bodybuilders for generations to come.”
Hefner, 84, also cited inspiration from the famed sign, with its 14-metre-tall letters high on a rugged hillside.
In 1978, Hefner raised the money to rebuild the crumbling wooden sign, originally erected by a real estate developer in 1923. The sign was rebuilt of steel.

As for the governor, he didn’t open his own checkbook for the cause, but his staff said he lent his time lining up donors. The cause was personal, Schwarzenegger said, remembering the sign as a beacon of hope back when he was a star bodybuilder but only a would-be actor.