Archinect - News

Warner Brothers proposes aerial tramway to the Hollywood Sign

2018-07-12T13:53:00-04:00

[Warner Bros.] would foot the bill for an aerial tramway to transport visitors to and from the Hollywood sign, starting from a parking structure next to its Burbank lot. The effort, dubbed the Hollywood Skyway, would cost the studio an estimated $100 million, according to a person close to the company who was not authorized to comment. The tramway would take visitors on a 6-minute ride more than 1 mile up the back of Mt. Lee to a new visitors center near the sign [...]

Several cable transport solutions are being proposed for popular Los Angeles landmarks right now: besides the gondola system that could connect Dodger Stadium with Union Station, the idea of an aerial tramway carrying visitors up to the Hollywood Sign has been brought back to life by media giant Warner Brothers and pitched to city officials.

Artist impression of the proposed Hollywood Skyway. Image: Warner Bros.

"Similar solutions in the past have been shot down over concerns that they would lead to the commercial exploitation of Griffith Park," reports the LA Times. "The Warner Bros. proposal will surely face tough questions from locals and a lengthy review process to assess the effects on the environment. Many have also voiced concerns about how such a project would affect wildlife in the area."

Could L.A. be getting a second Hollywood Sign?

2018-02-20T15:37:00-05:00

Community leaders and affected homeowners have mixed reactions regarding a consultant’s recently released recommendations on how to best provide relief for residential communities besieged with Hollywood Sign tourists. The recommendations, released in January and commissioned by Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu, ranged in impact from the jaw-dropping, like the idea of installing a second Hollywood sign, to the mundane, like improving signage for lost tourists.

The Los Feliz Ledger gives a detailed account of various recommendations currently being discussed among community leaders to drastically improve access to L.A.'s iconic landmark sign while also easing the traffic burden on locals in the adjacent Hollywood Hills neighborhoods.

One idea from a 65-page report commissioned by Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu is to install a replica Hollywood Sign on Griffith Park's north side facing the San Fernando Valley: "Some said that it was an interesting, out-of-the-box idea that could satiate at least some tourists’ desire to see the sign, albeit a replica, and would therefore lessen traffic in Los Feliz and the Hollywood Hills. Others however, said they did not see a duplicate’s sign value."

L.A. Mayor Garcetti proposes gondola lift to the Hollywood sign

2017-05-09T19:36:00-04:00

To snap a photo of the Hollywood sign, tourists have clogged hillside streets and hiking paths, spurring battles in Hollywood Hills neighborhoods and in court over how people should be able to access the iconic landmark. Now Mayor Eric Garcetti has floated an alternative: Building a gondola to ferry visitors to the beloved sign.

Instead of having to evade trespassing laws (or take the long way around), those who want to visit the Hollywood sign up close may be able to simply take an aerial gondola lift if Mayor Eric Garcetti's recent remarks become a reality. As this article notes:

Garcetti spokesman George Kivork said in a written statement Monday that the mayor was "open to exploring ideas that ease congestion and encourages creative thinking when looking at ways to give Angelenos and tourists better access to the Hollywood sign and other iconic landmarks and destinations.”

Defacing the stone: a history of vandalism on famous architectural landmarks

2017-01-03T21:24:00-05:00

For as long as there have been landmarks, there have been people willing to deface them in the name of politics, art, fame or sheer stupidity.

From the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge to the Trevi fountain in Rome, this Guardian article explores a brief history of temporary vandalism on famous landmarks (and it's not just artfully placed tarps: try a dangling VW Beetle!).

From the annals of the vandals:

Homeowners fight to block access to the Hollywood sign

2015-07-08T14:07:00-04:00

The pull of the Hollywood sign has...generated anger along the winding roads in those hills as homeowners have complained of a crush of motorists clogging roads, hikers in the middle of narrow streets and smokers flicking cigarettes into flammable brush... Now some homeowners are taking their battle to court, demanding that the city close a popular path into Griffith Park used to view the famed sign until the effects on the neighborhood have been fully evaluated.

The residents of Beachwood Canyon, a very affluent neighborhood, argue that traffic to one of the only public trails leading to the iconic Hollywood sign is a public safety issue. Claiming that the city has failed to properly address environmental concerns, they've formed a group, Homeowners on Beachwood Drive United, and sued the city.

As reported by CurbedLA, this isn't the first time that the neighborhood has raged against the public access point. And, in the past, the city has gone to pretty great lengths to address their concerns, such as putting up permit-only parking and allocating a personal police patrol.

While the LA Times takes a more-neutral stance, both Curbed and LAist seem pretty confident it's a case of NIMBYism.

Architectural installations to pop-up on Hollywood sign hiking trail this weekend

2014-05-14T20:43:00-04:00

On May 17, the yearlong series' final event, inspired by L.A.'s most prominent icon, the Hollywood sign, is being staged. Six projects will be installed on the Hollywood sign trail, where all of Los Angeles is laid out before hikers. Details are still being finalized, but the event could feature imaginary viewfinders designed by Elly Ward and mini-monuments erected by Elizabeth Timme, co-director of design office LA-Más.

Trek to the Hollywood sign

What: Installations along a trail near the Hollywood sign

Where: Hollywood sign trail. Park in the Greek Theatre Parking Lot G in Griffith Park or at Griffith Observatory and take the shuttle to the Hollywood sign viewing area.

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17

Price: Self-guided tour is free. Shuttle to the site, $7; free for 2 and younger.

Information: www.laparks.org/shuttle/shuttle.htm, www.ontheroadprojectla.org