Save the Citgo Sign

If you’ve spent time in Boston, you’ve come to realize that the most iconic element in Boston’s skyline is more of a billboard than a building: the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square. It has added relevance for me; when I was in college, we could see the Citgo sign from our house. It was a part of my college experience.

The sign had been in danger because of, what else, a landlord dispute. Just yesterday, the new owner of the building finally came to agreement with Citgo to renew the lease on the sign. Hooray.

That’s not enough. Today, I signed a petition to ask the city of Boston to grant the Citgo sign Landmark status. Landmark status would, in the words of the petition’s sponsors, “protect the CITGO sign permanently and require any possible changes to be reviewed. Further, it will recognize the CITGO sign as an important piece of Boston history and culture.” How could anyone argue with that?