HOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND CENTER

Description

Essentials about the Hollywood and Highland Center in brief

The Hollywood and Highland Center is a shopping and entertainment complex located at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. Covering an area of around 36,000 square meters, visitors can store in around 70 stores, go bowling, go to the movies, dine in some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, stay overnight at the Loews Hollywood Hotel or party in nightclubs until the early morning. In addition, the Hollywood and Highland Center includes two of the most famous theaters, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars are awarded each year.

The architecture of the Hollywood and Highland Center

The centerpiece of the Hollywood and Highland Center is an open plaza that pays homage to the Babylonian setting of David Wark Griffith’s 1916 silent film epic Intolerance. The oversized elephant statues enthroned on two tall columns are a real eye-catcher. To the east, the square is bordered by a huge gate, through the opening of which the Hollywood Sign in Griffith Park can be seen.

Around the square, the balconies of the three-story shopping and entertainment center are dotted with outdoor seating, offering beautiful views of the square and its water features. Due to its mixture of different architectural styles, the Hollywood and Highland Center remains one of the most controversial structures in Los Angeles to this day.

The Road to Hollywood

An interesting detail of the Hollywood and Highland Center is the so-called “Road to Hollywood,” which stretches across the grounds like a red-and-black patterned snake. The quotes on the Road are from actors and directors and are a tribute to Hollywood and Los Angeles as a place where dreams really do come true. Since the quotes are anonymized, it is quite an exciting and challenging task for Hollywood fans to guess who they are from.

The Hollywood and Highland Center and Hollywood Boulevard

The Hollywood and Highland Center opened in 2001 after three years of construction. The construction of the shopping and entertainment complex was part of a comprehensive effort to revitalize Hollywood Boulevard, which was somewhat run down at the time. And indeed, since its opening, the Hollywood and Highland Center has done much to revitalize the boulevard and is now one of Hollywood’s tourist magnets.

Incidentally, the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame runs in front of the Hollywood and Highland Center. Because of the many visitors to the Hollywood and Highland Center, the space in front of the shopping and entertainment complex is a particularly desirable location for the world-famous stars. Because of the lack of space, two stars are laid side by side in front of the center (and not just one as usual).