Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
ahhhh....yes, the HOLLYWOOD sign...It originally spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND for a real estate
venture around 1923.
The men doing NONE of the work, are foolishly waving their hats.
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Our fearless leader e_r originally posted this photo (along with several other shots of the Sign) way back on page 4, in this threads infancy:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show....php?p=4336855
I was really fascinated by the group of photos and as one who loves to hike in the Hollywood hills, kept wondering when and where this particular image was taken. Recently I did a couple of little photo safaris to the area and though my mission was not 100% successful, I can offer a few photos and insights concerning this spot, which is near Mulholland Highway and Ledgewood Drive.
After walking and studying the area around these streets I think the crew in ethereal's photo were not building the road to the sign, or any road in that scene. The sign is finished, and the road leading to it would have been the first construction phase of the project, so it has probably been in place for at least a year or two. My hunch is that our crew was actually working on Mulholland Highway (behind the camera) or perhaps was doing maintenance on the road to the sign.
So, what is this road? After stomping around the area, my conclusion is that it no longer exists, and was just an access road, built before the sign went up. My best guess is that this spot is now occupied by the homes at 6105 and 6107 Mulholland Highway. Here's a photo taken from a hill behind those homes. I think the relatively clear section that winds around to the right was a part of the old access road.
My photo
I think the road may have intersected with Mulholland Highway at bit further west at the driveway that now leads to 6145. It looks suitably old, and would have been the least steep approach to the little ridge in my first photo, with one or two little switchbacks in between.
My photo
(In the early 30's broadcaster Don Lee bought the land on the plateau above the sign in conjunction with his new experimental TV station and the longer, more gradual Mt. Lee Road was built to the summit. With the new road in place, the steeper old road would no longer be needed for access to the sign.)
Now, here's another old photo that caught my attention, though I don't know whether it has been posted on this thread before. This is the short divided section of Mulholland Highway, a few blocks west of Ledgewood. I have driven this section many times over the years and always found it intriguing and very charming. I believe that's our Hollywoodland Sign access road near the top left corner of the frame. That same hillside on the left, now the site of the homes at 6145 through 6105, also has a large green water tank, that I think can be seen at the upper left:
http://underthehollywoodsign.wordpre...lland-highway/
Here's shot I took, from a similar vantage point:
My photo
The large white home in the older photo is at 6182 Mulholland Highway and was a model home / sales office for the then new Hollywoodland Estates. This handsome structure can seen on many old photos of the Hollywood hills. It's still there but today is more hidden by trees and other homes on the block. It is not the white home in the background of the photo above, but here's a view of it from down on Durand Drive. The identifying feature is the tall rectangular chimney along the west wall.
My photo
This is a great old section of Hollywood and I never tire of seeing it. The neighborhood has loads of character and many fine older homes, with few of the hideous "wedding cake palaces" that are common in other hilltop sections of L.A. Lake Hollywood is nearby and just down the street at 6342 M.H. is Castillo del Lago apparently built by Bugsy Siegel, and later owned by Madonna.
More later, maybe...