Hollywoodland, Tracts No. 6450 9367 9594.

$1,800

Cartographer(s): Engineering Service Corp., Sidney H. Woodruff
Date: ca. 1923
Place: Los Angeles
Dimensions: 68.5 x 86.5 cm (27 x 34 in)
Condition Rating: VG

In stock

SKU: NL-01933 Categories: ,

The birth of one of L.A.’s most iconic neighborhoods.

Details

This early and significant plan of Hollywoodland was created by S.H. Woodruff, the development’s primary promoter. The map highlights the extent of Mulholland and Hollyridge Drives, stretching from Belden and Burwell to Tyrolean and Hollywoodland Drive.

S.H. Woodruff, alongside Tracy Shoults and Harry Chandler, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, pioneered the creation of Hollywoodland, an upscale estate community. Woodruff, who was both an architect and a land developer, officially registered the name Hollywoodland with the State of California. This area famously includes the site of the original “HOLLYWOODLAND” sign, conceived as a bold advertisement for a new residential project situated above the Hollywood district in Los Angeles.

The concept for this landmark sign was influenced by H.J. Whitney, who developed Whitney Heights and proposed the idea to Harry Chandler. In the spirit of promoting Hollywoodland as an elite yet affordable residential area on the Hollywood side of the hills, Woodruff and Shoults hired the Crescent Sign Company to construct the iconic sign. Thomas Fisk Goff (1890-1984), the owner of the sign company, designed the sign with dimensions for each letter reaching 30 feet wide and 50 feet high, illuminated by around 4,000 light bulbs. The sign’s unveiling took place on July 13, 1923, and while it was originally expected to last only about 18 months, the sign has endured due to the surge of the American film industry in Los Angeles, becoming a globally recognized emblem.

The map also features an exceptional promotional piece extolling the benefits of living in Hollywoodland, making it a valuable and unique piece of promotional material from the early days of this iconic Los Angeles neighborhood.

Cartographer(s):

Engineering Service Corp.

Engineering Service Corp. (c. 1917 – 1990) was a civil engineering and land planning firm based in Los Angeles that was instrumental in the development of the Hollywoodland neighborhood.

Sidney H. Woodruff

Sidney H. Woodruff was an architect and real estate developer active in California in the early 20th century. He is best known for the development of Hollywoodland, a posh neighborhood situated beneath the Hollywood sign and adjacent to Griffith Park. He also planned the city of Dana Point in southern Orange County, though the project’s initial plan was abandoned due to the 1929 stock market crash.

Condition Description

Some toning and wear along folds. Professionally restored, with minor infill at fold intersections.

References

Related products