Boston Citgo sign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boston Citgo sign |
|
|---|---|
The sign in 2017
|
|
| General information | |
| Address | 660 Beacon Street |
| Town or city | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 42°20′55″N 71°05′44″W / 42.348712°N 71.095619°W |
| Completed | 1940 (as Cities Service) 1965 (as Citgo trimark) |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 60-foot-square (18 m) |
The Boston Citgo sign is a very large sign in Boston, Massachusetts. It shows the logo of the oil company Citgo. You can see it overlooking Kenmore Square.
This famous sign was first put up in 1940. It got its current Citgo logo in 1965. Many people know the sign because it often appears in the background of Boston Red Sox baseball games. These games are played at Fenway Park. The sign has become a well-known symbol of Boston.
What the Citgo Sign Looks Like
The Citgo sign is a huge, white sign with two sides. It measures about 60-foot-square (18 m). The sign shows the Citgo logo, which is called the "trimark." It also has the word "CITGO" written on it. This sign advertises the Citgo oil company.
The sign uses thousands of tiny light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These lights turn off every night at midnight. The sign you see today was revealed in March 2005. This happened after a six-month project to fix it up. LEDs were chosen because they last a long time. They also save energy and are bright.
In October 2008, a small electrical fire damaged the sign. It caused about $5,000 worth of damage. The fire melted some plastic and left smoke marks. The Citgo sign was turned off for several months starting in July 2010. Workers replaced the LEDs with newer ones. They hoped these new lights would handle Boston's strong winds and extreme temperatures better. Before 2005, the sign used neon lighting. It had over 5,878 glass tubes. These tubes stretched for more than 5 miles (8.0 km) in total!
The Citgo sign is famous across the country. This is because it appears above the Green Monster at Fenway Park. The Green Monster is a tall wall in the baseball stadium. During Red Sox games, the sign is often nicknamed "See It Go." This name is especially popular when a home run is hit. Because it's so visible, smaller copies of the sign have been made.
History of the Famous Sign
.jpg)
The very first sign was built in 1940. It showed the green-and-white logo of Cities Service. This company was the original name for Citgo. The sign was updated with the current Citgo trimark logo in 1965. There used to be a Cities Service gas station below the sign. Today, there isn't a Citgo gas station there. The sign is now important as a historical landmark.
In 1979, the governor of Massachusetts, Edward J. King, ordered the sign to be turned off. This was a way to show support for saving energy. Other oil companies also had big signs near Fenway Park in the 1940s. These included Mobil and Gulf Oil. But only the Cities Service sign stayed up for a long time.
Four years later, Citgo wanted to take down the old sign. It was getting worn out by the weather. But people in Boston loved the sign! They protested against its removal. The Boston Landmarks Commission stepped in. They asked Citgo to wait before taking it down. The sign was then fixed up and lit again by Citgo in 1983. A crowd of 1,000 fans cheered when it was turned back on. It has been working ever since.
In September 2006, a Boston city councillor named Jerry McDermott suggested removing the sign. This was in response to comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Chávez had criticized U.S. President George W. Bush. McDermott also suggested covering the sign with an American flag or a Red Sox banner. He wanted it to stay covered until Chávez was no longer president.
In July 2016, the Boston Landmarks Commission voted. They gave the sign preliminary landmark status. This meant the sign could not be removed right away. The commission then studied the sign for three months. They voted on making it a permanent landmark in October 2016.
In October 2016, The Boston Globe newspaper reported some news. A developer bought the building where the sign sits. This was part of a big deal for nine buildings. Citgo had been paying a lower rent for the sign to Boston University. The new owner, Related Beal, agreed in March 2017 to keep the sign for "decades to come." On November 13, 2018, the Boston Landmarks Commission voted again. They officially named the sign a Boston Landmark. However, the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, later vetoed this decision. This happened around the same time Citgo and Beal made a new agreement. This agreement allows the sign to stay for another 30 years.
On August 10, 2020, a group called Extinction Rebellion put a large banner over the sign. The banner was about 42-foot-square (13 m). It read "CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW." They wanted to bring attention to environmental issues. These issues are caused by the fossil fuel industry. Ten people from the group were arrested. They faced charges for trespassing and disturbing the peace. This happened after the banner was taken down.
Copies of the Sign
The Houston Astros baseball team used to have a copy of the sign. It was behind left field at their home, Daikin Park. Other smaller baseball parks also have copies of the sign. Hadlock Field is home to the Portland Sea Dogs in Portland, Maine. They have a copy of the Citgo sign above their own "Maine Monster" wall. The Corpus Christi Hooks also have a 50-foot-square (15 m) copy of the sign. It is at their ballpark, Whataburger Field.
The Citgo sign is so strongly linked to Fenway Park and the Red Sox. Because of this, some local Little League fields have copies of the sign too.
The sign was featured in a short film in 1968. It was also in a Life Magazine photo story in 1983. You can also see it in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. In a 1984 book, the sign is shown as "the Big Wheel sign." This fictional sign is important to a college group in the story.
In baseball video games, like the MLB: The Show series, a sign that looks like the Citgo sign appears. It often has a Red Sox logo inside it. But in newer games, the real Citgo sign can appear because of special agreements.
See also
- Shell Oil Company "Spectacular" Sign
