At Viking, I researched and wrote emails on topics ranging from historic sites to wonders of modern engineering. The following spec email is an example of that work.

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Los Angeles’s Famous Hollywood Sign

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Emblem of a City

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The Hollywood Sign: Symbol of an industry

There is perhaps no more iconic hallmark of both the film industry and the city of Los Angeles than the imposing Hollywood Sign. First erected in 1923 as an advertisement for the Hollywoodland real estate subdivision, this illustrious landmark is visible from various points throughout the city. Read on to learn more about the history of this singular structure.

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During the 19th century, farmers and prospectors began populating the area of Southern California now known as Hollywood. The early 1900s bore witness to the area’s quickly expanding film industry, and by 1920 the town was home to restaurants, nightclubs, movie theaters and more. Among the many upscale developers hoping to capitalize on this exciting new American hot spot was Hollywoodland, which formed a syndicate with the intent of putting up a giant wooden sign on a nearby mountain advertising the burgeoning planned community.

First, a rudimentary road was created in order to haul the materials needed to construct the Sign up to the designated spot. These included 18 60-foot-high, 1,440-pound support poles, 96 horizontal pipes, 104 vertical supports and more than 1,300 individual pieces of sheet metal. Though the project’s start date is uncertain, what is known is that the Sign—spelling out “HOLLYWOODLAND” —was illuminated for the first time on December 8, 1923, with 3,700 incandescent light bulbs affixed to the inside and outside perimeter of each letter.

Ten years later, in 1933, the Hollywoodland syndicate was dissolved and ownership of the Sign was transferred to the M. H. Sherman Company, a local tract developer. Citing financial concerns, the Sign ceased to be maintained and its nightly illumination was discontinued. As it fell deeper into disrepair, the Sign’s structural integrity began to deteriorate, and on September 19, 1936, the second “O” in the sign was blown to the ground during a heavy windstorm, followed by two more letters in less than three years. A commitment to repairing the Sign was made in 1939, but disaster struck again in 1944 when strong winds once again knocked over the “H.” A short time later, in 1945, the City of Los Angeles purchased both the Sign and the 425 acres of undeveloped land on which it sits for a token amount of $1.

Following several years of debate, in 1949 the city’s Recreation and Park Commission agreed to rebuild the fallen “H”, tear down the “LAND” portion and refurbish the remaining letters, and so the Hollywood Sign as we know it today was unveiled for the very first time. In 1973, the Heritage Board of the City of Los Angeles declared the Sign a Historic-Cultural Monument, and on September 14 of that year a lavish event was held to celebrate its newly repaired sheet metal and fresh coat of bright white paint. In the long term, however, these cosmetic fixes proved insufficient to withstand the forces of nature, and on February 10, 1978, winds damaged every single one of the Sign’s letters—most notably the “Y” and the third “O”.

With support from such illustrious donors as Warner Bros. Records, Gene Autry, Andy Williams, Les Kelley (of Kelley Blue Book fame), Hugh Hefner and Alice Cooper, on August 8, 1978, the Sign was completely torn down in order to build a new one from the ground up. Debuted to the public on November 11, 1978, this new Hollywood Sign stood as the world’s largest with its 45-foot-high letters and 450-foot length.

In the decades since, the Sign has been painted, repaired and fortified in various ways to keep it shining brightly over the City of Angels. Today, the Hollywood Sign continues to stand watch over Tinseltown, symbolizing the soaring hopes and dreams of those who infuse the star-studded city with its unmistakable character.