Hollywood sign gets biggest renovation for 90th birthday

Workers use window-cleaner style platforms as they strip down the 50-foot (15-meter) tall letters, power washing the corrugated iron and apply nearly 400 gallons of fresh paint while restoring the Hollywood sign on October 26,2012 in Hollywood, California. The iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Tinseltown is getting its biggest renovation for 35 years, to prepare it for its 90th birthday next year. The operation, which started earlier this month, will take 8-10 weeks to restore the sign to its bright white glory atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills north of Los Angeles. AFP/JOE KLAMAR

LOS ANGELES—The iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Tinseltown is getting its biggest renovation in 35 years, ahead of its 90th birthday next year.

Workers are using window-cleaner style platforms as they strip down the 15-meter-tall letters, power-wash the corrugated iron and apply nearly 400 gallons of fresh paint, organizers said.

The operation, which started early October, will take eight to 10 weeks to restore the sign to its bright-white glory atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills north of Los Angeles, said the Hollywood Sign Trust. The original sign was erected in 1923 to advertise a property development called Hollywoodland, but the last four letters were removed in the 1940s. AFP