Hugh Hefner Honored for $1 Million Hollywood Sign Contribution

As thanks for his generous donation, which helped save L.A.’s iconic Hollywood sign, Hugh Hefner will be honored by the Trust for Public Land.

PHOTOS: The Hollywood Reporter Cover Stories
 
Hefner, philanthropist Aileen Getty and the Tiffany & Co. foundation each donated $1 million to help the trust acquire Cahuenga Peak from its Chicago owners, who had planned to sell the land for $11.7 million, the LA Times reports. Their eleventh hour donations allowed the trust to meet its April 2010 deadline set by the owners.

THR Cover Story: Hugh Hefner: The Playboy Interview
 
While the 138-acre mountain is located next to the famous landmark, local speculation included worries that the land would be turned into a tourist destination, potentially destroying the sign. Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge had enlisted the trust’s help after learning that the former owners, who purchased the land in 2002 for $1.7 million, intended to build five estates on the peak.

STORY: Hugh Hefner: 10 Truths Behind the Playboy Legend
 
Hefner and Getty will have plaques placed on large boulders along the trail between Cahuenga Peak and Mt. Lee in their honor, while the Tiffany & Co. Foundation will receive a bench in their name on the trail between Griffith Observatory and Mt. Hollywood.