The famous Hollywood sign that for decades has marked the centre of the film-making world has been saved from demolition following a last-minute donation from porn baron Hugh Hefner.
The landmark has been at the centre of a $12.5m (£8.1m) campaign to stop it being torn down to make room for property development in the surrounding area. Playboy owner Hefner stepped in with a $900,000 donation that means the 138-acre site around the sign will now be protected.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger described the news as "the Hollywood ending we hoped for". He said: "It's a symbol of dreams and opportunity. The Hollywood sign will welcome dreamers, artists and Austrian bodybuilders for generations to come."
Hefner, who stepped in once before, in 1978, to help save the sign, describes it as "Hollywood's Eiffel tower". He said: "My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy."
The sign is owned by the city of Los Angeles, but until recently the area surrounding it, named Cahuenga Peak, was the property of a Chicago-based group who had planned to sell to developers. That would have been an ironic twist, for the landmark was originally erected by property magnate and Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler in 1923 to advertise an upmarket real-estate development. At first it read "Hollywoodland", but the final four letters were removed in 1949 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The letters have been altered by pranksters a number of times over the years. In January 1976, following the passage of a state law decriminalising marijuana, the sign read "Hollyweed", while a visit to California by Pope John Paul II in 1978 saw it reconfigured as "Holywood".
The sign, whose letters stand 45ft tall – five shorter than those originally built – was draped with a banner reading "Save the Peak" in February to raise awareness of the campaign to save it. Along with Hefner's donation, funds came in from all 50 US states and 10 countries. Famous figures such as Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg also gave money.
Cahuenga Peak features a 360-degree panoramic view of LA and the San Fernando Valley. Wildlife conservation board executive director John Donnelly said its permanent protection would mean a significant addition to the city's Griffith Park, and would also help protect local wildlife.
