<P> Over the course of more than half a century, the sign, designed to stand for only 18 months, sustained extensive damage and deterioration . </P> <P> During the early 1940s, Albert Kothe (the sign's official caretaker) caused an accident that destroyed the letter H. Kothe, driving while inebriated, was nearing the top of Mount Lee when he lost control of his vehicle and drove off the cliff directly behind the H. While Kothe was not injured, his 1928 Ford Model A was destroyed, as was the original 50 foot (15.2 m) tall illuminated letter H . </P> <P> In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign . The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development . The Parks Department dictated that all subsequent illumination would be at the Chamber's expense, so the Chamber opted not to replace the lightbulbs . The 1949 effort gave it new life, but the sign's unprotected wood and sheet metal structure continued to deteriorate . By the 1970s, the first O had splintered and broken, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O had fallen down completely, leaving the severely dilapidated sign reading "HuLLYWO D ." </P> <P> In 1978, in large part because of the public campaign to restore the landmark by Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure . Nine donors gave US $27,777.77 each (totaling US $249,999.93) to sponsor replacement letters, made of steel supported by steel columns on a concrete foundation (see Donors section below). </P>

Why did the hollywood sign change from hollywoodland