Over 1,000 Petition to Make Citgo Sign Boston Landmark

Boston, MA - It's definitely iconic - but is it a landmark? That's the question a Boston commission has been asked to answer.

Some supporters in Boston want to formalize the CITGO sign's special place in the city, with more than 1,000 signing a petition asking to protect it as a designated landmark.

The impetus was Boston University's plan to sell the building on which the sign sits. At least some of site's would-be developers have said they'd take a hands-off approach to the historic sign, while others declined to comment in a recent Boston Globe story on the sign's future.

Preempting anyone who might get any ideas about moving, blocking or otherwise altering the flashing icon, the Boston Preservation Alliance is circulating a petition requesting that the city make the sign a bonafide landmark.

"The CITGO sign isn’t just an advertisement, it is a Boston landmark. For national audiences, it says 'Boston' just as much as Old North Church and the Swan Boats," the petition states. "With your help, we can ensure that future generations of Bostonians will know and love this fifty-year-old icon of the city."

The city's Landmark Commission, which will make the potentially fateful decision.

What do you think? Should the CITGO sign be designated as an official landmark?

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>> Photo by Alison Bauter, Patch staff

>> Patch has edited this article to correctly identify the Boston Preservation Alliance and clarify the purpose of the petition. We regret the error.