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Boston's Citgo sign begins landmarks approval process.

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Blue Room

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The illuminated Citgo sign in Kenmore Square is one of the Boston skyline’s defining features. Since its installation in 1965, its red triangle, blue letters, and white background have served as a reference point for residents and visitors alike, but it has never been granted landmark status. That might be about to change. The 60-foot-square sign, which originally used neon and was retrofitted with LEDs in 2010, is being advanced for landmark review. The City Council voted in favor of initiating the process. And none too soon. The fate of the sign has been in question the past several months. The building it stands on, 660 Beacon, is owned by Boston University, which has plans to sell it. But before that can happen, the Boston Landmarks Commission will study the sign’s historic and architectural significance, which should be easy to determine since, as The Boston Globe’s architecture critic Robert Campbell once noted, the sign is “the crown jewel of the Boston skyline.”

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

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