At the crest of Mount Lee, high above Beachwood Canyon and perched in the rugged open space of Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign equally embodies ambition and myth. Now, its guardians are proposing a new chapter: a dedicated visitor center that would transform tourists’ fleeting photo-stop into a fuller, more immersive experience of the landmark that was erected in 1923.
Reported by Allan R. Ellenberger for The Hollywoodland Revue
Rendering of a visitor center for the Hollywood Sign. Photo Credit: The Hollywood Sign Trust
Earlier this month the Hollywood Sign Trust officially announced the initiative, hinting at educational exhibits, interpretive trails, and perhaps even a time capsule tied to the sign’s centennial celebrations.
The proposal marks a decades-long evolution in how the sign is managed. Originally built as an oversized billboard reading “HOLLYWOODLAND,” the letters were never intended to become a global emblem of cinema. Their survival owes much to post-war philanthropy, preservation efforts and an array of investors who treated the sign as a cultural identity rather than mere advertising. Now with tourism, environmental pressures and resident complaints at their peak, the Trust views the visitor center as both an interpretive anchor and a traffic-management tool.
Early design talk suggests the center could be located near Travel Town or another accessible point in the park—likely on the north side of Mount Lee—so as to keep the fragile hillside from being overrun by tour vans. Zarrinnam, chair of the Trust, emphasizes community outreach: “We want to engage residents and businesses, gather ideas, and ensure whatever gets built is respectful of both the landmark and the setting.”
Still, the plan is far from finalized. City approvals, funding, site selection and environmental clearances lie ahead, and the residents of Beachwood Canyon remain wary. Arrival roads are narrow, parking is limited, and waves of visitors already overwhelm the neighborhood. “Traffic is terrible and people stop literally right in the middle of the street,” says one local told CBS Los Angeles.
For tourists, however, the center promises something long overdue: an insider’s perspective on the sign’s 100-year history, its cinematic cameos, and the stories of the men and women who kept those white letters standing through storms, vandalism and the relentless glare of spotlights. The webpage for the Trust invites public submissions of “memories, artwork and stories” to be included in a digital time capsule.
In the larger scheme, this proposed visitor center may reconceive one of Los Angeles’s most photographed icons—shifting it from a backdrop to a destination. If done thoughtfully, it could provide context to millions of visitors, offer meaningful engagement for locals, and protect the fragile ridge where the letters stand. If done poorly, it risks turning a symbol of dreams into just another tourist stop.
As the Trust works its way through board meetings, design charrettes and fundraising pitches, one thing remains clear: the Hollywood Sign is more than white steel letters on a hillside. It’s a story—a story many have snapped with their phones, but few have fully explored. And perhaps, just perhaps, a visitor center might finally invite us to climb beneath the image and look behind the icon.