Hollywood Sign & Hugh Hefner?

The famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles has been saved from demolition - thanks to Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner.
They were going to destroy the Hollywood sing which is an icon by now to make real estate, that's crazy. How much money did Hugh Hefner donate to save the Hollywood Sign?

A $900,000 donation by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and a $500,000 matching grant capped a $12.5 million fundraising drive to protect 138 acres near the famous Hollywood sign from the development of luxury estates.

The Hollywood sign is owned by the city, but the property around it belongs to a group of Chicago-based investors.

The investors had planned to sell the land to developers, but agreed to sell to the trust for $12.5m if the money could be raised.

Donations came from all 50 US states, 10 countries and celebrities, including actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg.

In February, the sign was draped with a banner which read "Save the Peak", to raise awareness of the campaign.

Neighbors and preservationists felt that building homes above the world-famous sign would ruin the view and rob the public of access to the peak. The land, which sits behind the 45-foot-tall "H," will be added to the adjacent Griffith Park, a 4,210-acre wilderness that is a favorite spot for hiking.

Schwarzenegger called it "the Hollywood ending we hoped for."

Hefner, 84, also cited inspiration from the famed sign, with its 14-metre-tall letters high on a rugged hillside.

"My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy," he said in a statement.

Mr. Hugh Hefner has long been a supporter of the sign. In 1978, he helped raise money to rebuild it when it was dilapidated.

Hugh Hefner is the owner of the Y in the Hollywood Sign.