| Hollywood Cross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 2580 Cahuenga Blvd.,Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°06′48″N118°20′02″W / 34.11338°N 118.33399°W /34.11338; -118.33399 |
| Built | 1923 |
| Governing body | Private |
| Designated | 1995 |
| Reference no. | 617 |
  Location of Hollywood Cross in the Los Angeles metropolitan area | |
TheHollywood Cross, officially known as theHollywood Pilgrimage Memorial Monument, is a 32-foot-tall steelChristian cross situated above theJohn Anson Ford Amphitheatre in theHollywood Hills neighborhood ofLos Angeles,California. Overlooking theCahuenga Pass, theHollywood Freeway, and theHollywood Bowl, it serves as a prominent landmark with significant historical and cultural relevance.
Originally erected as a memorial forChristine Wetherill Stevenson, it is owned and maintained byThe Church on the Way inVan Nuys.[1]
Erected in 1923, the original cross was a wooden structure built as a memorial to Christine Wetherill Stevenson, aphilanthropist and founder of the Pilgrimage Theatre—now known as the Ford Amphitheatre. Stevenson was instrumental in producing “The Pilgrimage Play,” a dramatization of the life ofJesus, performed at the amphitheater. The illuminated cross complemented these performances, symbolizing the play’s religious themes.[2]
The initial wooden cross stood until the early 1980s when it fell into disrepair and was subsequently demolished. In the late 1980s, a new cross was constructed using remnants of the original structure left on the hill. This iteration was later replaced in 1993 by the current steel and opaque plastic monument, known as the Hollywood Pilgrimage Memorial Monument. In 1995, it was designatedLos Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #617.[3]
The Hollywood Cross has survived various challenges, includingvandalism,natural disasters, and legal disputes. The cross was highlighted in the 2024 documentary “A Light in the Darkness,” which chronicles the monument’s 100-year history and its role in thecultural landscape of Hollywood.[4]