What are the letters in the Hollywood Sign made of? Are they planks of metal painted white?
In 1923 the sign was born. Each of the 13 letters (It originally said HOLLYWOODLAND) was 30 feet wide and 50 feet tall. Each letter was made of 3 x 9 metal squares, all rigged up by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles. At first, the sign featured 4,000 20 watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart. It was visible from 25 miles away. In 1949, the Chamber of Commerce came to the ailing sign’s rescue, removing the letters that spelled “LAND” and repairing the rest. In 1978, the Hollywood Sign Trust unveiled a pristine new Hollywood Sign with the help of generous sponsors. The letters were made with Australian steel. The new letters were 45 ft high and ranged from 31 to 39 ft wide. In 1995, the sign got a new paint job courtesy of Dutch Boy Paints. In November 2005, refurbishment, donated by Bay Cal Commercial Painting, began again as workers stripped the letters back to their metal base and repainted them white. Sources:
