Hollywood began as a speculative suburb before becoming the symbolic capital of global cinema. We set the stage by examining how geography, branding, and storytelling transformed a neighborhood into a worldwide myth.

Ovation Hollywood (formerly Hollywood & Highland) represents the 21st-century reinvention of the district — a mixed-use complex designed to anchor tourism, retail, and the Dolby Theatre in one orchestrated urban stage. From here, we examine how Hollywood continuously redesigns itself to sustain spectacle and economic relevance.

From this elevated vantage point, we frame the Hollywood Sign and revisit its 1923 origins as “Hollywoodland,” a real estate campaign selling lifestyle and aspiration. What began as temporary advertising evolved into one of the most powerful cultural symbols in the world — a case study in branding, preservation, and global myth-making.

More than terrazzo stars, the Walk of Fame is a civic branding strategy created in the 1960s to revive a declining district. We explore how Prospect Avenue evolved into Hollywood Boulevard and how cycles of boom, decline, and reinvention continue to define the area.

Explore the neighborhood

This striking Art Deco and Neo-Gothic building reflects the financial optimism of early studio-era expansion. Architecture here was designed to communicate permanence, authority, and ambition.

A filming location for Pretty Woman, this stop reveals how real urban spaces become cinematic backdrops. Hollywood constantly feeds on itself — turning streets into fiction and fiction back into tourism.

One of Hollywood’s first grand movie palaces, the Egyptian Theatre transformed filmgoing into spectacle. Inspired by Egyptomania after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, it shows how architecture elevated cinema into ritual and fantasy.

A centerpiece of premiere culture, El Capitan demonstrates how red carpets, orchestrated publicity, and theatrical staging turn film releases into high-value global events.

Originally built in 1921, this temple reflects the elite networks and social structures that shaped early Hollywood power. Today, as a television studio, it bridges secretive fraternal culture and contemporary media.

Home to the famous handprint forecourt, this theatre institutionalized celebrity ritual. The tradition reinforces permanence and myth in an industry built on illusion and reinvention.

Site of the Academy Awards, the Dolby Theatre represents Hollywood’s most visible ritual of legitimacy. The Oscars function as a carefully orchestrated global broadcast reinforcing hierarchy, prestige, and cultural influence.

Host of the first Academy Awards in 1929, the Roosevelt reveals the private side of public glamour. Hotels in Hollywood have long operated as informal headquarters of influence, negotiation, and image construction.