Boston’s famous Citgo sign, which has stood over Kenmore Square since 1965, will be moved 120 feet east and 30 feet higher as part of the area’s redevelopment. But this is not a basic move. Suffolk crews will take the sign apart piece by piece, potentially thousands of individual components, before a full refurbishment and reinstallation.
“It’s not as simple as attaching a piece of a sign to a crane platform or hook and moving it up 30 feet,” Northeast Suffolk General Manager Pat Lucey tells ENR. “It’s piece by piece, section by section. It’s very detailed and very methodical. There are a lot of rivets and screws and hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces. It’s a very complex puzzle.”
Work begins in late spring or early summer, timed so Suffolk can obtain all the components needed for a complete renovation and a new steel truss system to support the sign before dismantling, ideally minimizing downtime for the 60-foot-by-60-foot LED icon that serves as a welcome to the last mile of April’s historic Boston Marathon and Park.
“The goal for us is to get all the materials right after the marathon,” Lucey says, adding that they plan to “keep the signal basically identical to how it is today.”
By moving the sign to make way for the redevelopment, it returns to its original view corridor over the Boston skyline. During the process, crews will take apart every element of the structure, including the 11-foot-tall letters, and digitally model each piece so they can be put back together.
Lucey says with any renovation project there are unknowns, meaning the project could take “a few months or a few more months,” though the goal is to get the sign back up as soon as possible to limit the time without lighting.
While the overall project is “super simple,” Lucey says the main challenges come from working in a dense urban area while trying to minimize disruption to public traffic, any unknowns in the renovation, and the complex puzzle of rebuilding the sign piece by piece, which is why the sign’s digital twin is central to the process.
The refurbishing process could be as simple as cleaning, but it may also require rebuilding the component to ensure teams can mimic the current appearance of the poster. Some parts may not be salvageable and require replacements. “The goal and direction is to try to reuse as much as possible,” he says.
The sign was first installed in 1940 as the Cities Service Sign and was re-installed in 1965 as part of the introduction of the Citgo marketing brand. “The Citgo sign is a cherished treasure for Kenmore Square and the residents of Boston,” says Boston Mayor Michaelle Wu.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation listed the sign as legally existing before the passage of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, preserving the sign’s place in Boston.
“The Citgo sign has long been a visual and cultural anchor for Kenmore Square and the city of Boston,” said Karl Schmidt, Citgo Petroleum vice president of supply and marketing. “With federal and state waivers in hand, Citgo is excited to take this final step in the redevelopment process for this iconic site.”
Lucey says that with the continued maintenance of the sign, they know it’s structurally sound, but “we don’t know everything, for sure.” Even in harsh New England weather, the signal has held, but crews have to make sure it can last for decades.
Suffolk will erect the sign, making it more visible, and plans to reuse only the sign components. This means that a new structural steel support will house the reform. As an illuminated sign, Suffolk will have experts to create new electrical connections.
“The Citgo sign has long served as an iconic landmark for Boston residents and visitors,” says Governor Maura Healey. “This repositioning will ensure that the Citgo sign remains visible on our skyline for generations to come.”
