When sizing up a situation, big cats can move very slowly; what it will take to get Leo the Lion, and the original signage from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer back into view in Culver City? The City’s Cultural Affairs Commission heard a presentation at their regular meeting on Sept. 16, 2025, on the proposed donation and installation of the iconic landmark, which has been in storage in 1992.
Maggie Adams, senior manager of MGM’s digital archives, was present for the meeting, and was noted as a key figure in the offer to restore the sign to Culver City. City Historian Hope Parrish, also on hand, was named as the person bringing the matter to the commission.
Sally Unsworth, the Cultural Affairs Manager for the city, presented some history and some possible options for the future.
The sign has already had multiple homes. Starting out at the original MGM Studios in the early 1920’s, it was relocated in 1930, on the lot, to Stage Six. In 1987 it was installed at at what is now One Culver, but that home proved to be temporary, only lasting until 1992.
The sign is 14 feet tall, 32 feet wide and weighs about 3000 pounds. It’s a double sided sign, each side mirroring the other. According to the report, “Parks and Rec and Cultural Affairs staff looked at many possible locations near Vets Park…The Overland Avenue frontage near the Senior Center was deemed to be most suitable based on scale, and the ability to engage the public.”
Several of the commissioners had specific reasons why that location might not be suitable; Commissioner Ehsaan Mesghali, who has a background in architecture, offered a number of structural issues that the proposal would encounter at that specific site. Commissioner Tanya Fleisher noted that it was in front of a turn lane, and would make for a very awkward place to stop. Chair Leora O’Carroll, mindful of the picture taking aspect of having the icon out, noted that “we need to think about selfies,” and having a safe place for people to stand and pose.
According to Unsworth, the sign is considered to be in “fair to good condition, with paint loss, fading, and corrosion on the steel. Following a preliminary conservation assessment conducted this [past] summer… there would need to be “stabilization and surface treatments prior to installation.” In addition, a plan, and funding, would need to be in place for upkeep once the sign is installed.
What will it take for the historical sign to return to Culver City? More discussion, more planning, and more time.
Judith Martin-Straw
Photo – City staff Sam Lee and Sally Unsworth pose in front of the sign at the storage facility
