The Hollywood Sign, Today
The ingenious ploy to market the land worked like a charm. As a result, this area is now one of the most highly recognized places in the world, a symbol of the entertainment industry in its entirety. Though by the time the ‘70s rolled around, the Hollywood sign was in extremely poor shape. That changed in 1978 when Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner and eight other donors contributed $27,777.77 to fund the restorative project.
Over the years, many pranksters have attempted to deface the iconic sign. The most infamous happened on January 1, 1976, when a student named Danny Finegood and his friends used black and white fabric to reword the letters to read “Hollyweed.” The act was a part of their school’s art project, for which he reportedly received an A.
The Space Needle Today
Today, The Space Needle of Seattle, Washington continues to attract a myriad of tourists to the city every year. With elevators rapidly climbing to the top of the observation deck at 520 feet in just 41 seconds, it comes as no surprise just how many people flock to this hot tourist destination annually. In 1999, the Space Needle would receive the esteemed status of an official Seattle historic landmark—and rightfully so!
Over the years, this amazing and unique structure has gone through a number of renovations and changes. For instance, while there were once two restaurants at the top of the Space Needle, today there is just one—though a stunning restaurant at that! A pacific northwest cuisine restaurant, this unique restaurant is able to rotate a full 360 degrees every forty-seven minutes, giving all of its patrons a world-class, panoramic view of the bustling city of Seattle.
Hollywood Then — Hollywoodland
Today everyone knows Hollywood and the iconic Hollywood sign but it wasn't always like that. Erected back in 1923, the famous Hollywood sign was originally enacted to attract developers to the area. The land came from a woman named Daeida Wilcox Beveridge, the woman who donated the plot to help in the development of Hollywood. While everyone knows the name, there is some mystery about where the name "Hollywood" actually came from.
Some believe it came from the time Beveridge met someone on a train, who had a summer home by the name of ‘Hollywood.’ Others argue Hollywood is a nod to a red-berried shrub by the name of California holly, which grows abundantly in the surrounding California areas. Even as a mystery, in 1903, Hollywood was established as a municipality, and in 1910 the area merged with the great city of Los Angeles, just a year before the first film studio would move to the area.
The Gateway Arch Then
Situated in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, the historic Gateway Arch stands at 630 feet high and was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. The gate was constructed in order to honor founding father Thomas Jefferson’s vision for the transcontinental United States. In fact, it was originally named the “Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.”
Despite the construction, many citizens opposed the building, largely because of the substantial amount of public money that was being funneled into it. Ultimately, upon its completion in 1965, the Gateway Arch would forever serve as a massive symbol of national identity, as well as a prime example of “mid-century modern design.”
The Gateway Arch Today
In 1987, the Gateway Arch officially became a national landmark. Additionally, in 1974, the awe-inspiring structure would go on to rank fourth on the list of “most-visited man-made attractions” in the world, as well as one of the 10 most visited arches in the world.
Everything from lighting to security is carefully thought out by the National Park Service and rangers of the site constantly work to ensure the proper maintenance of the structure that holds meaning and purpose for so many Americans of the past, present, and future.