“The position and billboard letters on Mount Lee give the Hollywood Sign its unique form and reading, and because the letters are staggered their true x, y and z coordinates have never been precisely documented…until now,” said Jeff Zarrinnam, chair of the Hollywood Sign Trust. “Another exciting aspect of this project is the new scan can be used for creating an array of virtual activities. We also now have the exact data to reproduce the Sign if it was damaged or destroyed. This is central to the Hollywood Sign Trust’s mission to preserve the Sign and we’re thrilled to partner with Apex As-Builts on this piece of history.”

To survey the Hollywood Sign and surrounding topography, Apex As-Builts utilized LiDAR (light detection and ranging) laser scanning equipment to measure every visible element of the Sign and the unique terrain it is placed on. The placement of every bolt, conduit, I-beam and even the corrugation pattern on the Sign’s surface was documented to within 1/8″ accuracy or better. To complete this task, a network of targets was set in place before 112 individual scans were carried out at precise locations surrounding the Sign. Each individual scan is comprised of millions of points of highly accurate 3D coordinates. These individual overlapping scans are then linked together, much like a massive 3D jigsaw puzzle, to create one comprehensive set of data called a point cloud. In this case, the resulting point cloud is approximately 1.98 billion points of X, Y, Z coordinates. The LiDAR scanning process supplements the 1978 blueprints and was used as the basis for a full 3D model of the Sign and hillside.

“It has been an honor for our team to contribute to the preservation of such an iconic structure and collaborate with the Hollywood Sign Trust,” said Ryan Stenberg principal of Apex As-Builts, Inc. “Of the thousands of buildings and historic structures we’ve documented via LiDAR, this has been a singular challenge that we were eager to take on. Everyone at Apex As-Builts, including our project coordinators, surveyor and drafting specialists took a personal interest in ensuring this project was done to the highest standards. We’re confident the results of this as-built survey will be invaluable in the next stage of the Sign’s history.”

About the Hollywood Sign Trust

The Hollywood Sign Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit trust formed on October 7, 1978, with the express purposes of repairing, maintaining, refurbishing and providing capital improvements to the Hollywood Sign or related thereto for the benefit of the public at large and so as to help preserve and maintain the image of Hollywood as the Worldwide Center of Motion Pictures and Cinema Arts; and shall be operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes. The Trust is also the official source for news and information about the Hollywood Sign and maintains the Hollywood Sign website and its social media platforms.

Media Contact

Elizabeth Johnson, Cavanah Communications, 1 213-713-4865, [email protected] 

Betsy Isroelit, Hollywood Sign Trust, 1 213-300-0108, [email protected] 

SOURCE Hollywood Sign Trust