The famous Hollywood sign was built in 1923 for a real estate development in Beachwood Canyon. The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" and cost $21,000 to build. The letters, 30 feet wide and 45 feet tall were originally lighted by 4000 light bulbs. However, maintenance was discontinued in 1939 and in 1949 the "Land" portion of the sign was removed. Over the years, the sign became terribly rundown. Finally, in 1978 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce restored it with the help of private donations.*
Peg Meets the Sign - On September 18, 1932, after a night of drinking and feeling depressed, Peg would tell her Uncle Harold that she was going to walk up Beachwood to meet some friends at the local drug store. Instead, she would scratch and claw her way up the slope to the Hollywood sign where she took off her coat and folded it neatly. She placed it, along with her purse, at the base of the maintenance ladder which led up the letter "H". She would then climb up the workman's ladder on the back of the 50 foot "H" and perform a perfect Swan dive into the ground. Peg was more than likely killed instantly. She was only 24 years old.
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