Design

A Modest Proposal for the Hollywood Sign

A Danish architecture firm touts integrating a larger sign into a hotel.

Published

14 years ago

April 19, 2010

Steve Aust Signs of the Times April 2010 Issue

For more than 80 years, the Hollywood sign (“Hollywoodland” until the 1950s) Peak in the Los Angeles foothills has loomed as a signature American icon. During its life, the sign has undergone several facelifts, and now, because the adjacent Cahuenga Peak site is offered for sale by its Chicago-based investment group, the sign faces the prospect of development.

Fighting this, the Trust for Public Land is seeking to raise $12.5 million to buy the property and annex it into neighboring Griffith Park. In February, the Trust installed banners over the face of the sign that stated, "Save the Peak." The group had until April 14 to raise the funds, but was granted an extension until April 30.

Entering the fray, bayarch, a Danish architectural firm, has published a proposal to build a new, 105-ft.-tall version of the sign with a 10-story hotel behind it. Hotel rooms would be built behind the letters, with other amenities integrated into a grid behind them. An observation deck would be belt onto the structure, as well as a walkway in front of it. According to reports, Chris Baumgart, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, said the proposal was “a good story,” but “it’s not going to happen.”

For more information about the proposal, visit http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/9855/hollywood-sign-hotel-by-bayarch.html

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