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The current beacon on Beacon Street is the giant Citgo sign. It has
been a Boston landmark since 1940 (neon bulbs were added in 1965). The
sign is visible from great distances on both sides of the Charles River,
especially as you approach the city from the west.
During the oil crisis of 1973, the sign's many blinking neon bulbs were
turned off to conserve power. They were again turned off from 1979 to
1982 for the same reason. The Charles River was darkened when
reflecting light from the Citgo Sign was extinguished. In 1982,
the Citgo Company planned to dismantle the sign, and a populist effort was
made to preserve it as a symbol of Roadside Americana. In 1983, the Citgo
Company paid $450,000 to refurbish the sign, and since then the light from
this huge beacon has again lit up Boston's Back Bay. Today the company has a
free Boston Citgo
Sign screensaver available on the web.
The sign is 60 feet by 60 feet and contains 5,878 neon
lights. Runners in the Boston
Marathon each year are motivated when the sign becomes visible late in
the race. The sign is displayed on countless TV sets when baseball
sluggers hit a homerun over the left field wall at
Fenway Park
Landmarks of Boston's past and present include the
Boston Stone,
Liberty Stump,
Plywood Palace, and
Pregnant Building.
Trivia: What was the name of the
company that originally created the Citgo Logo?
Answer: Cities Service.
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