In 1992, the California Attorney General granted distinct legal rights and responsibilities to the Hollywood Sign Trust to maintain, repair and provide capital improvements to the Sign for the benefit of the public. Which the Trust continues to do to this day, with the larger mission of helping to preserve Hollywood’s standing as the worldwide center of motion pictures and cinema arts.
On December 31, 1999, the Sign was the site of the West Coast’s highest-profile “Y2K” celebration, ringing in the new millennium with a dazzling display of lights and special effects. The Sign was featured alongside the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and New York’s Times Square during global millennium countdown TV coverage. The erstwhile real estate billboard continued its place among the world’s most revered landmarks.
In 2000 the Hollywood Sign Trust hired Panasonic to install a state-of-the-art security system comprised of a vast closed circuit surveillance network, and Internet-based surveillance. The system, which is monitored 24/7 to protect the Sign and it neighbors from unwanted visitors and the danger of fire, was upgraded with new technologies in 2005.
In 2003 the Sign celebrated its 80th anniversary at a gala celebration hosted by movie musical legend Esther Williams (another remarkably preserved octogenarian). The celebration was held during the opening ceremonies for the AFI Fest, which was sponsored in part by the Trust.
In 2010, thirty-two years after the Sign was rebuilt, the Sign’s #1 fan, Hugh Hefner, presented the Hollywood Sign Trust with the closing gift to ‘Save the Peak,’ capping efforts to raise funds to purchase and protect the 138 endangered acres behind the Hollywood Sign. Thanks to Mr. Hefner’s contribution, grants from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and Aileen Getty, along with contributions from Hollywood leaders and fans around the world, the view that is inseparable from this cultural landmark will be protected.
