‘Hollywood Signs’ shines a light on LA’s forgotten visual landmarks
You might know that Los Angeles’ most famous sign once read “Hollywoodland.”
But did you know that it wasn’t the first, nor only, sign designed to attract Angelenos to the Hollywood Hills?
In “Hollywood Signs: The Golden Age, Glittering Graphics and Glowing Neon,” author and designer Kathy Kikkert pays tribute to the other Hollywood signs, which also rose from the hillside, large and high enough to be seen from Wilshire Boulevard. While the sign for Whitley Heights came first – it was a newsworthy event when it was lit up in 1920 – there were others for Outpost Estates, Vinecrest, Brynn Mawr and Tryon Ridge.
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”I’ve seen pictures where you could see a few of them, but it would be amazing to see all of them together,” says Kikkert on a recent phone call.
Arriving in bookstores on August 15 from Angel City Press, “Hollywood Signs” is a history of the neighborhood told through the bold advertisements, neon letters and quirky, innovative design that left their mark on Los Angeles, if only temporarily. Some of the signs documented in the book are still familiar to locals, some – like the neon Grauman’s Chinese Theatre dragon that’s now a part of the Museum of Neon Art’s collection – while others have been rehoused or long since disappeared.
Kikkert moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2000. After a few years in the city, she noticed changes around Hollywood. She took photos of them, such as when the letters on the marquee of The Palladium reverted to its 1940s aesthetic.
“I was in New York in the ‘80s and that was a time of transformation and it seemed like something similar was happening here in Hollywood,” says Kikkert. “I always loved the ‘60s facade and was wondering why they brought it back to the ‘40s.”
As the neighborhood changed, some signs would ultimately disappear. When Kikkert noticed that the space that once housed Dan-Dee Factory Shoe Repair on Vine was boarded up, she grabbed her camera. “I know this is going to be gone soon,” she recalls thinking. “I don’t know where it’s going to go, but I know that it’s going to be gone and I just want to document it.”
For related news, see: 7 iconic Hollywood signs you can still see around Southern California
This led to research, and Kikkert learned just how much eye-catching Hollywood signage was already long-gone and forgotten. She collected slides; dug through archives at Los Angeles Public Library, USC and UCLA; and talked to experts. It took an estimated 15 years of on-and-off work on the project to bring Kikkert’s love letter to Hollywood signage to light.
And she wanted her work to look as good as the signs she wrote about. As a teenager, Kikkert became smitten with typography and ultimately gravitated toward book design.
“The book cover is meant to draw your attention, but the book interior is usually a little bit quieter and meant to create an atmosphere for you to take in the content of the book,” says Kikkert. “There’s a lot going on there that might not be obvious at first glance.”
An internship at Simon & Schuster led to a full-time job after she graduated from NYU.
“I learned from some of the best people that I could have,” she says. “It was sort of like a graduate degree in book design and book composition.” After handling book interiors at Simon & Schuster, she moved on to book covers at Doubleday, then launched a freelance career. You can see her design work in books like Charles Phoenix’s “Southern California in the ‘50s” and “Addicted to Americana.” Kikkert also designs signs and menus. Amongst her projects is the Hollywood Downtowner Motel. “It’s a thrill to see that when I drive by,” she says.
“Design is communication,” says Kikkert. “To me, it’s about creating an atmosphere, an environment, for information that can be easily conveyed to the viewer, the reader. It needs to be inviting. That’s always my goal, no matter what I’m working on.”
Fittingly, Kikkert, who also designed “Hollywood Signs,” directed the spotlight upon some of the region’s local signmakers as well. Metlox, a father and sons team in the South Bay, were outdoor sign innovators who left their mark on the Pantages. The Neale Brothers were active signmakers whose projects included the Outpost development in the Hollywood Hills. Heath & Company helped transform the facade of the neighborhood during the mid-20th century.
“I wanted to spotlight them because the creativity that they brought to Hollywood, Los Angeles and Southern California I thought was really special,” says Kikkert. “I wanted to honor the sign makers as best as I could as well.”
Hollywood Signs events with Kathy Kikkert
When: 4-6 p.m. Saturday, August 12
Where: Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, 216 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale
Information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hollywood-signs-book-launch-at-mona-tickets-689530944617
When: 3-5 p.m. Sunday, August 20
Where: Wacko, 4633 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles
Information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hollywood-signs-at-wacko-tickets-689554645507
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 23
Where: Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles