In this circa mid 1940s aerial photo of the Hollywoodland sign, we can see that its deterioration was starting to set in. The sign went up in 1923, so by this stage it was over 20 years old. Decay was bound to set in sooner or later—the “H” was practically gone altogether. We Angelenos are thankful that in 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce worked with the City of L.A.’s Parks Department to repair the sign. The “LAND” part came down and the remaining 9 letters got a full makeover. (I also love how this photo gives us a peak into the San Fernando Valley and shows us how there were still swathes of empty land.)
Lee I. says: “The building with the swimming pool was the studio and transmitter of W6XAO, the first TV station in Los Angeles and one of the first in the U.S. The “experimental” station went on the air from that site in 1940, after previously being located in downtown Los Angeles. It was owned by Don Lee.”
Al M. says: “Part of that empty land directly below the summit belonged to Universal studios before they sold it off when Barham Blvd was built. Universal originally owned where the Oakwood apartments are now as part of their extended backlot.“
On the Valley side I believe we’re seeing roughly where Forest Lawn is now.
Yup, that would be about where Forest Lawn is now. That view of the Valley is more interesting than the Hollywood sign, IMO.
I had planned to visit Bobby Fuller’s grave at Forest Lawn, but moved before I got a chance.
Yup, that would be about where Forest Lawn is now. That view of the Valley is more interesting than the Hollywood sign, IMO.
What a time to be living in Burbank.
W6XAO was originally on channel 1 and moved to channel 2 in the mid-1940s when channel 1 was eliminated. The station became commercial KTSL in 1948 and was sold to CBS in 1950, who moved the transmitter to Mount Wilson as KNXT, today’s KCBS-TV. The Mount Lee tower today is used for government, amateur and various other non-commercial services.
Thanks for all that interesting info, Denis.