Hollywood Walk of Fame

==History==
===Origin===
[[File:Hollywood boulevard from kodak theatre.jpg|thumb|The Walk of Fame at the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard with the [[Dolby Theatre]] in the foreground and the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue]]
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce credits E.M. Stuart, its volunteer president in 1953, with the original idea for creating a Walk of Fame. Stuart reportedly proposed the Walk as a means to "maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world".<ref name="historyof">{{cite web|title=History of the Walk of Fame|work=Hollywood Walk of Fame|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/pages/history|access-date=May 16, 2011}}</ref> Harry Sugarman, another Chamber member and president of the Hollywood Improvement Association, received credit in an independent account.<ref name="LA Magazine">{{cite magazine|last=Rozbrook|first=Roslyn|issue=February 1998|title=The Real Mr. Hollywood|magazine=Los Angeles Magazine|date=February 1998|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V0EAAAAMBAJ&q=hollywood+walk+of+fame+sugarman&pg=PA20|access-date=June 6, 2010
}}</ref> A committee was formed to flesh out the idea, and an architectural firm was retained to develop specific proposals. By 1955, the basic concept and general design had been agreed upon, and plans were submitted to the [[Los Angeles City Council]].<ref name="latimes.com"/><ref>''[[Lincoln Journal Star]]'', June 27, 2006 – [https://journalstar.com/entertainment/how-do-you-get-a-walk-of-fame-star/article_097a3d51-57e5-55c4-8a51-aca255ac5552.html How do you get a Walk of Fame star? – The Associated Press]</ref><ref>''[[East Bay Times]]'', July 1, 2006 – [https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/07/01/how-stars-get-stars-on-walk-of-fame/ How stars get stars on Walk of Fame By Associated Press and Sandy Cohen]</ref>

Multiple accounts exist for the origin of the star concept. According to one, the historic [[Hollywood Hotel]], which stood for more than 50 years on Hollywood Boulevard at the site now occupied by the [[Ovation Hollywood|Ovation Hollywood complex]] and the [[Dolby Theatre|Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre]]<ref>Garcia, Courtney (June 11, 2012) [https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-oscars-dolby-idUSBRE85A1MH20120611 "Out with Kodak, in with Dolby at home of Oscars"]. Reuters. Retrieved December 11, 2013.</ref>—displayed stars on its dining room ceiling above the tables favored by its most famous celebrity patrons, and that may have served as an early inspiration.<ref name="latimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hollywood-walk-of-fame6-2010feb06-pictures,0,3869071.photogallery|title=The Hollywood Walk of Fame {{!}} A brief history in photos|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 31, 2010}}</ref> By another account, the stars were "inspired ... by Sugarman's Tropics Restaurant drinks menu, which featured celebrity photos framed in gold stars".<ref name="LA Magazine"/><ref>{{cite web|first=Martin|last=Townsend|title=Los Angeles History – Extinct Restaurants & Cafes S-Z|publisher=LATimeMachines.com|url=http://www.latimemachines.com/new_page_43.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020123952/http://www.latimemachines.com/new_page_43.htm|archive-date=October 20, 2006|access-date=June 26, 2010}}<!--ownership only--></ref>

In February 1956, a prototype was unveiled featuring a [[caricature]] of an example honoree ([[John Wayne]], by some accounts<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomson|first=David|title=The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood|publisher=Vintage|year=2006|isbn=0-375-70154-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/wholeequationhi00thom/page/149 149]|url=https://archive.org/details/wholeequationhi00thom/page/149}}</ref>) inside a blue star on a brown background.<ref name="historyof"/> However, caricatures proved too expensive and difficult to execute in brass with the technology available at the time; and the brown and blue motif was vetoed by [[Charles E. Toberman]], the legendary real estate developer known as "Mr. Hollywood", because the colors clashed with a new building he was erecting on Hollywood Boulevard.<ref name="historyof"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Gregory Paul|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9W4R_CZtFe8C|title=The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History|publisher=BL Press|isbn=978-0-9776299-0-9|access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref>

===Selection and construction===
By March 1956, the final design and coral-and-charcoal color scheme had been approved. Between the spring of 1956 and the fall of 1957, 1,558 honorees were selected by committees representing the four major branches of the entertainment industry at that time: motion pictures, television, audio recording, and radio. The committees met at the [[Brown Derby]] restaurant,<ref name="ap2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/preview/articles/0630walkoffame0630.html<!--was http://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/0630walkoffame0630.html-->|title=Price of Fame in Hollywood? $15,000|author=Cohen, Sandy|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|date=June 30, 2006|access-date=June 27, 2009|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20131213034320/http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/preview/articles/0630walkoffame0630.html|archivedate=2013-12-13}}</ref> and they included such prominent names as [[Cecil B. DeMille]], [[Samuel Goldwyn]], [[Jesse L. Lasky]], [[Walt Disney]], [[Hal Roach]], [[Mack Sennett]], and [[Walter Lantz]].<ref name="historyof"/>

{{stack|[[File:Hwof joanne woodward.jpg|thumb|[[Joanne Woodward]]'s star, contrary to popular belief, was not the first.]]}}
A requirement stipulated by the original audio recording committee (and later rescinded) specified minimum sales of one million records or 250,000 albums for all music category nominees. The committee soon realized that many important recording artists would be excluded from the Walk by that requirement. As a result, the [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] was formed to create a separate award for the music industry, leading to the first [[Grammy Award]]s in 1959.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aSBAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3612,4838071&dq=paul+weston+grammy&hl=en|title=Bronze Stars Begot Grammy|date=1976-02-22|page=13|newspaper=The Robesonian|location=Lumberton, N.C.|access-date=2011-05-23}}</ref>

Construction of the Walk began in 1958, but two lawsuits delayed completion. The first lawsuit was filed by local property owners challenging the legality of the $1.25 million tax assessment (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1.25|1958|r=0}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) levied upon them to pay for the Walk, along with new street lighting and trees. In October 1959, the assessment was ruled legal.<ref name="historyof"/> The second lawsuit, filed by [[Charles Chaplin Jr.]], sought damages for the exclusion of his father, whose nomination had been withdrawn due to pressure from multiple quarters (see [[#Controversial additions|Controversial additions]]). Chaplin's suit was dismissed in 1960, paving the way for completion of the project.<ref name="historyof"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167734333.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Aug%2011,%201960&author=&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=Judge%20Refuses%20Chaplin%20Walk%20of%20Fame%20Request|title=Judge Refuses Chaplin Walk of Fame Request|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=1960-08-11|page=B2|access-date=2010-06-11|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107162411/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167734333.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Aug%2011,%201960&author=&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=Judge%20Refuses%20Chaplin%20Walk%20of%20Fame%20Request|archivedate=2014-11-07}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="LATimesWhy">{{cite news|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/about/#no-love|title=Why doesn't Clint Eastwood have a star?|access-date=May 20, 2011|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

While [[Joanne Woodward]] is often singled out as the first person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame—possibly because she was the first to be photographed with it<ref name="Q&A">{{cite news|last=Thermos|first=Wendy|date=July 22, 2005|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/22/local/me-explainer22|title=Sidewalk Shrine to Celebrities Twinkles With Stars|page=2|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 31, 2010}}</ref>—the original stars were installed as a continuous project, with no individual ceremonies. Woodward's name was one of eight drawn at random from the original 1,558 and inscribed on eight prototype stars that were built while litigation was holding up permanent construction.<ref>{{cite news|last=Conklin|first=Ellis E.|date=October 30, 1986|title=Hollywood's Walk On The Mild Side Of Fame|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|agency=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-10-30/features/8603210766_1_hollywood-chamber-gower-street-star-struck-admirers|access-date=October 21, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206131339/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-10-30/features/8603210766_1_hollywood-chamber-gower-street-star-struck-admirers/2|archive-date=December 6, 2013}}<!--full text--> (, )</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF5107276D88A24&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|date=October 26, 1986|newspaper=[[Daily News of Los Angeles]] (CA)|title=Walk of Whimsy|publisher=Knight-Ridder, Mediastream}} {{subscription required}} ([https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=revered%2Bhollywood%2Bwalk%2Bof%2Bfame+drawn+from+a+hat+&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&ned=us&btnG=Search+Archives text verif.])</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Ellis|last=Conklin|agency=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|title=Top Stars Missing on Hall of Fame|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|date=October 30, 1986|page=D17|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jsAyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1318,5172428&dq=star+grant+said+they+did+and+on+feb&hl=en}} (Google news archive)</ref> The eight prototypes were installed temporarily on the northwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and [[Highland Avenue (Los Angeles)|Highland Avenue]] in August 1958 to generate publicity and to demonstrate how the Walk would eventually look.<ref name="historyof"/> The other seven names were [[Olive Borden]], [[Ronald Colman]], [[Louise Fazenda]], [[Preston Foster]], [[Burt Lancaster]], [[Edward Sedgwick]], and [[Ernest Torrence]].<ref name="historyof"/><ref name="Wana">{{cite book|title=Hollywood 1940–2008|first=Marc|last=Wanamaker|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2009|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywood19402000000wana|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywood19402000000wana/page/18 18]|isbn=978-0-7385-5923-0|access-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> Official groundbreaking took place on February 8, 1960.<ref name="latimes.com"/> On March 28, 1960, the first permanent star, director [[Stanley Kramer]]'s, was completed on the easternmost end of the new Walk near the intersection of Hollywood and Gower.<ref name="historyof"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381016309/?terms=%22Kramer%20First%20Name%20Put%20in%20Walk%20of%20Fame%22&match=1|title=Kramer First Name Put in Walk of Fame|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 29, 1960|page=15|access-date=June 12, 2010	|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Stagnation and revitalization===
Although the Walk was originally conceived in part to encourage redevelopment of Hollywood Boulevard, the 1960s and 1970s were periods of protracted [[urban decay]] in the Hollywood area as residents moved to nearby suburbs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shuitt|first=Doug|date=April 16, 1972|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/385514845/?terms=%22The%20Old%20Glamor%20Has%20Vanished%22&match=1|title=Hollywood Blvd.---The Old Glamor Has Vanished|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2010-06-09	|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Vincent1">{{cite news|author=Vincent, Roger|date=May 6, 2008|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/06/business/fi-hollyangst6|title=Neighborhood face-lift gives Hollywood pause|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref> After the initial installation of approximately 1,500 stars in 1960 and 1961, eight years<!--[[WP:CALC]]--> passed without the addition of a new star. In 1962, the [[Los Angeles City Council]] passed an ordinance naming the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce "the agent to advise the City" about adding names to the Walk, and the Chamber, over the following six years, devised rules, procedures, and financing methods to do so.<ref name="historyof"/>
In December 1968, [[Richard D. Zanuck]] was awarded the first star in eight years in a presentation ceremony hosted by [[Danny Thomas]].<ref name="historyof"/><ref name="ap2006"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uP5XAAAAIBAJ&pg=2861,1539705&dq=zanuck+1968+star+walk+of+fame&hl=en|title=Walk of Fame|newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]]|date=December 12, 1968|page=20|agency=UPI Telephoto}}</ref> In July 1978, the city of Los Angeles designated the Hollywood Walk of Fame a [[List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood|Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) Report – Community: Hollywood|publisher=Department of City Planning|location=City of Los Angeles|access-date=May 31, 2010|url=http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Hollywood|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231328/http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Hollywood|archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref>

{{stack|[[File:Joe Pasternak Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|Johnny Grant, center, at the July 29, 1991 presentation ceremony for producer [[Joe Pasternak]], on the right. At left is [[Gene Kelly]].]]}}
Radio personality, television producer, and Chamber member [[Johnny Grant (radio personality)|Johnny Grant]] is generally credited with implementing the changes that resuscitated the Walk and established it as a significant tourist attraction.<ref name="ap2006"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Honorary mayor of Hollywood dies|first=Jeff|last=Wilson|date=2008-01-11|agency=AP|page=2A|newspaper=[[The Post and Courier]]|location=[[Charleston, South Carolina]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lldSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3396,3238480&dq=grant+honorary-mayor-of-hollywood&hl=en}}</ref> Beginning in 1968, Grant stimulated publicity and encouraged international press coverage by requiring that each recipient personally attend his or her star's unveiling ceremony.<ref name="ap2006"/> Grant later recalled that "it was tough to get people to come accept a star" until the neighborhood finally began its recovery in the 1980s.<ref name=Vincent1/>

In 1980, Grant instituted a fee of $2,500 ({{Inflation|US|2500|1980|fmt=eq}}), payable by the person or entity nominating the recipient, to fund the Walk of Fame's upkeep and minimize further taxpayer burden.<ref name="ap2006"/> The fee has increased incrementally over time. By 2002, it had reached $15,000 ({{Inflation|US|15000|2002|fmt=eq}}),<ref>{{cite web|title=Nomination Procedure|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|date=June 8, 2002|url=http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/walkoffame/nom_proc.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020608105215/http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/walkoffame/nom_proc.html|archive-date=June 8, 2002}}</ref> and stood at $30,000 in 2012 ({{Inflation|US|30000|2012|fmt=eq}}).<ref name="WOFFAQ"/> {{As of|2023}}, the fee was $75,000<!--({{Inflation|US|75000|2023|fmt=eq}})-->, about nine times the original amount adjusted for inflation.<ref name="Walk of Fame FAQs">{{cite web|url=https://walkoffame.com/faq/|title="Walk of Fame FAQs"|accessdate=2023-05-04}}</ref>

Grant was himself awarded a star in 1980 for his television work.<ref name="historyof"/> In 2002, he received a second star in the "special" category to acknowledge his pivotal role in improving and popularizing the Walk.<ref name="JGrant">{{cite web|url=http://www.johnnygrant.com/index.php?page=4 <!--was http://www.johnnygrant.com/johnnygrantbio.html-->|title=The Official Site Of Johnny Grant, Hollywood's Honorary Mayor|work=johnnygrant.com|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|access-date=May 26, 2010}}</ref> He was also named chairman of the Selection Committee and Honorary [[Mayor of Hollywood]] (a ceremonial position previously held by [[Art Linkletter]] and [[Monty Hall]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/167153542.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep%205,%201957&author=&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=Linkletter%20Installed%20as%20Hollywood%20%27Mayor%27|title=Linkletter Installed as Hollywood 'Mayor'|page=B6|date=September 5, 1957|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89161002|title=Pin-Up Queen Turns Hollywood Mayor Race Pink|date=March 27, 2008|publisher=NPR|first=Mandalit|last= del Barco|access-date=May 26, 2010}}</ref> among others).<ref name="historyof"/><ref name="JGrant"/> He remained in both offices from 1980 until his death in 2008 and hosted the great majority of unveiling ceremonies during that period. His unique special-category star, with its emblem depicting a stylized "Great Seal of the City of Hollywood",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hwof.com/star/special/johnny-grant/2448|title=Johnny Grant|publisher=HWOF LLC|access-date=May 26, 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030211136/http://hwof.com/star/special/johnny-grant/2448|archivedate=2010-10-30}}</ref> is located at the entrance to the Dolby Theatre adjacent to Johnny Grant Way.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.life.com/image/78898836|title=Johnny Grant Remembered On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame|magazine=Life Magazine|date=January 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610215733/http://www.life.com/image/78898836|archive-date=June 10, 2011<!--turn javascript off to view – as of Dec 2013 archive.org obscures the view-->|access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="GrantBio">{{cite web |title = Johnny Grant's Bio |url = http://www.johnnygrant.com/johnnygrantbio.html |publisher = JohnnyGrant.com |accessdate = 2008-01-09 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116013603/http://www.johnnygrant.com/johnnygrantbio.html |archive-date = 2008-01-16 }}</ref>

===Expansion===
In 1984, a fifth category, Live Theatre, was added to acknowledge contributions from the live performance branch of the entertainment industry, and a second row of stars was created on each sidewalk to alternate with the existing stars.<ref name="historyof"/>
[[File:Hollywood-walk-of-fame.jpg|thumb|upright|Hollywood Boulevard, 7000 block, north side, looking westward]]

In 1994, the Walk of Fame was extended one block to the west on Hollywood Boulevard, from Sycamore Avenue to North LaBrea Avenue (plus the short segment of Marshfield Way that connects Hollywood and La Brea), where it now ends at the silver "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo and the special "Walk of Fame" star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hwof.com/star/special/hollywood-walk-of-fame/3|title="Hollywood Walk of Fame" star|publisher=HWOF LLC|access-date=May 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814002405/http://hwof.com/star/special/hollywood-walk-of-fame/3|archive-date=2011-08-14}}</ref> At the same time, [[Sophia Loren]] was honored with the 2,000th star on the Walk.<ref name="historyof"/>

During construction of tunnels for the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail|Los Angeles subway system]] in 1996, the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) removed and stored more than 300 stars.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rescuing Elvis : Roadwork steals shine from icon's 'flaming star'|first=David|last=Bloom|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|date=December 4, 1996|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/RESCUING+ELVIS+%3a+ROADWORK+STEALS+SHINE+FROM+ICON%27S+%60FLAMING+STAR%27.-a084034046
|access-date=September 28, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205061053/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/RESCUING+ELVIS+%3a+ROADWORK+STEALS+SHINE+FROM+ICON'S+%60FLAMING+STAR'.-a084034046|archivedate=2013-12-05}}</ref> Controversy arose when the MTA proposed a money-saving measure of jackhammering the 3-by-3-foot terrazzo pads, preserving only the brass lettering, surrounds, and medallions, then pouring new terrazzo after the tunnels were completed;<ref>{{cite web|title=Giving stars their due; associations press MTA to preserve Hollywood icons| first=Rick|last=Orlov|publisher=Los Angeles Daily News (Free Online Library)|date=August 21, 1997|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GIVING+STARS+THEIR+DUE%3B+ASSOCIATIONS+PRESS+MTA+TO+PRESERVE+HOLLYWOOD...-a083876638|access-date=September 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205065300/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GIVING+STARS+THEIR+DUE%3B+ASSOCIATIONS+PRESS+MTA+TO+PRESERVE+HOLLYWOOD...-a083876638|archivedate=2013-12-05}}</ref> but the [[Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument|Cultural Heritage Commission]] ruled that the star pads were to be removed intact.<ref>{{cite web|title=Briefly: MTA told to save Walk of Fame tiles|publisher=Los Angeles Daily News (Free Online Library)|date=September 4, 1997|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BRIEFLY+%3a+MTA+TOLD+TO+SAVE+WALK+OF+FAME+TILES.-a083877824|access-date=September 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013609/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BRIEFLY+%3a+MTA+TOLD+TO+SAVE+WALK+OF+FAME+TILES.-a083877824|archive-date=2013-12-03}}</ref>

In 2023, a sixth category, Sports Entertainment, was added to acknowledge contributions of athletes to the entertainment industry.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://walkoffame.com/press_releases/michael-strahan-to-be-honored-with-first-hollywood-walk-of-fame-sports-entertainment-star/ | title=Michael Strahan to be Honored with First Hollywood Walk of Fame Sports Entertainment Star }}</ref>

===Restoration===
[[File:Michael Landon's star on the Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Landon]]'s slightly cracked star]]
In 2008, a long-term restoration project began with an evaluation of all 2,365 stars on the Walk at the time, each receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F. Honorees whose stars received F grades, indicating the most severe damage, were [[Joan Collins]], [[Peter Frampton]], [[Dick Van Patten]], [[Paul Douglas (actor)|Paul Douglas]], [[Andrew L. Stone]], [[Willard Waterman]], [[Richard Boleslavsky]], [[Ellen Drew]], [[Frank Crumit]], and [[Bobby Sherwood]]. Fifty celebrities' stars received "D" grades. The damage ranged from minor cosmetic flaws caused by normal weathering to holes and fissures severe enough to constitute a walking hazard. Plans were made to repair or replace at least 778 stars at an estimated cost of over $4 million.<ref name="LAT22">{{cite news|last=Pool|first=Bob|date=July 22, 2008|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/22/local/me-walk22|title=Walk of Fame going to have a little work done|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref>

The restoration is a collaboration among the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and various Los Angeles city and county governmental offices, along with the MTA, which operates the [[B Line (Los Angeles Metro)|Metro B Line]] that runs beneath the Walk, since earth movement due to the presence of the subway line is thought to be partly responsible for the damage.<ref name="WOFfix">{{cite news|last=Pool|first=Bob|date=July 17, 2008|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/17/local/me-walk17|title=Walk of Fame fix won't be easy stroll|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 31, 2010}}</ref>

To encourage supplemental funding for the project by corporate sponsors, the "Friends of Walk of Fame" program was inaugurated,<ref name="LAT22"/> with donors recognized through honorary plaques adjacent to the Walk of Fame in front of the Dolby Theatre.<ref name="LATAbs"/> The program has received some criticism; [[Alana Semuels]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described it as "just the latest corporate attempt to buy some good buzz", and quoted a brand strategist who said, "I think Johnny Grant would roll over in his grave".<ref name="LATAbs"/>

Los Angeles introduced the "Heart of Hollywood Master Plan", which promotes the idea of closing Hollywood Boulevard to traffic and creating a [[pedestrian zone]] from La Brea Avenue to Highland Avenue, citing an increase in pedestrian traffic including tourism, weekly movie premieres<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlyinhollywood.org/alerts/|title=Alerts Archive|website=Only In Hollywood|language=en|access-date=2020-01-31|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121085515/http://onlyinhollywood.org/alerts/|archivedate=2020-01-21}}</ref> and award shows closures, including ten days for the Academy Award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2018/3/2/17072092/hollywood-boulevard-close-cars-oscars|title=Make the Oscars street closures permanent|first=Alissa|last=Walker|date=2 March 2018|website=Curbed LA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-ol-hollywood-scramble-star-wars-20151230-story.html|title=Opinion: Here's a New Year's resolution worth keeping: Close Hollywood Boulevard to cars in 2016|last=Crotty|first=Emilia|date=2015-12-30|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref> In June 2019, the city of Los Angeles commissioned [[Gensler]] Architects to provide a master plan for a $4 million renovation to improve and "update the streetscape concept" for the Walk of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://urbanize.la/post/hollywood-walk-fames-4-million-master-plan-moves-forward|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame's $4-Million Master Plan Moves Forward|date=2019-06-14|website=Urbanize LA|language=en|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/city-selects-firm-to-design-hollywood-walk-of-fame-improvements/135152/|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame Update Coming, City Selects Firm to Design Improvements|website=NBC Los Angeles|date=June 12, 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-30/hollywood-boulevard-highland-vine-road-diet-traffic|title=L.A. considers bold makeover for Hollywood Boulevard: Fewer cars, bike lanes, wider sidewalks|last1=Nelson|first1=Laura J.|last2=Vega|first2=Priscella|date=2020-01-30|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref> Los Angeles city councilmember Mitch O'Farrell released the draft master plan designed by Gensler and Studio-MLA in January 2020. It proposed widening the sidewalks, adding bike lanes, new landscaping, sidewalk dining, removing lanes of car traffic and street parking between the [[Pantages Theatre (Hollywood)|Pantages Theater]] (Gower Street) at the east and [[The Emerson Theatre]] (La Brea Avenue) at the west end of the boulevard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://la.curbed.com/2020/1/31/21115464/hollywood-boulevard-walk-of-fame-pedestrian-friendly|title='Exciting' Hollywood Boulevard makeover unveiled. But don't call it radical.|last=Barragan|first=Bianca|date=2020-01-31|website=Curbed LA|language=en|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref> The approved phase one includes removing the parking lanes between Orange Drive and Gower Street, adding street furnishings with benches, tables and chairs with sidewalk widening. Phase two is in the schematic stage. Phase two is planned for 2024 and will include closing down the boulevard to two lanes, adding landscaping with shade trees and five public plazas made up of [[art deco]] designed street pavers and kiosks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heartofhollywood.la/walk-fame-master-plan|title=WALK OF FAME MASTER PLAN &#124; Heart of Hollywood|publisher=Heartofhollywood.la|date=|access-date=2022-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kfiam640.iheart.com/featured/la-local-news/content/2022-07-28-hollywood-walk-of-fame-to-get-streetscape-improvements/|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame to Get Streetscape Improvements &#124; KFI AM 640 &#124; LA Local News|publisher=Kfiam640.iheart.com|date=2022-07-28|access-date=2022-08-01}}</ref> Planned to be completed by 2026, funding is being raised for the $50 million project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://urbanize.la/post/hollywood-walk-fames-4-million-master-plan-moves-forward|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame's $4-Million Master Plan Moves Forward|date=June 14, 2019|website=Urbanize LA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/City-Selects-Firm-to-Design-Hollywood-Walk-of-Fame-Improvements-511169871.html|title=City Selects Firm for Hollywood Walk of Fame Improvements|first=City News|last=Service|website=NBC Southern California|date=June 12, 2019}}</ref>