The streets of Boston got a little bit dimmer earlier this week, when the famous Citgo sign was turned off for some much-needed repairs.
The sign, which towers above Kenmore Square, Boston University and Fenway Park, is getting a facial restructuring after 40 years of serving as one of Boston’s best-known, and best-lighted, landmarks.
‘We purposefully shut it off,’ said Robert Sawyer, a repairman contracted by Citgo Petroleum Corp. to maintain the sign. ‘Some of the cables and wires are almost 40 years old.’
After a last-minute plea from Mayor Thomas Menino, however, the Citgo company made sure the sign was lit for Thursday night’s Fenway Park finale, in which the Sox clinched the wild card with a 14-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles.
The sign has begun to show its age over the past few years, and locals say they have noticed.
‘On my cigarette break, I usually go out and count the broken bulbs,’ said Mark Rutleowski, manger of Blockbuster Video in Kenmore Square.
Sawyer said the repairs were timed because the company wants to make it look good for possible Red Sox theatrics in October.
‘We are looking for an interim measure so we can get it repaired, so it really looks good,’ Sawyer said. ‘The goal is to work it out so we can get it on in a week or so, so it will be ready for the playoffs.’
But Red Sox fans are always superstitious. Their playoff run has caused some to question whether the Sox could even make the playoffs without the cherished sign.
‘It was shut off for the game Wednesday when they lost, and I got a call from Chicago asking if it’s going to be like the curse of the Bambino,’ Sawyer said Thursday afternoon. ‘It would be, ‘the curse of the Citgo.”
Even Menino got into the act. Menino contacted Citgo world headquarters in Tulsa, Okla. Thursday asking the company to light the sign for Thursday night’s game, according to a press release.
‘For 63 years, the Boston Red Sox have played beneath the light of the Citgo sign,’ Menino said in a statement. ‘It’s a central part of the Fenway Park experience and our city. I hope to see a lot of home runs disappearing into its glow this evening as the Red Sox clinch their playoff berth.’
Citgo spokeswoman Kate Robbins said the company congratulated the Sox on its 2003 season, wished them luck in Thursday night’s game — which they won, beating the Orioles 13-3 — and added ‘Citgo will make every attempt to ensure that the sign is in good working order for the playoffs.’
Complete renovation of the sign, including a new coat of paint and repair of the sign’s 5,878 neon lights, is set to begin in October, according to the release. And if the Sox are playing in late October, all the better, Sawyer said.
‘We . . . want it to look really good for a World Series,’ Sawyer said.
In the meantime, many Kenmore Square businesses have felt the effects of the darkened streets.
‘[The sign] is how you find Kenmore Square,’ said Mike Anastos, managing partner of UNO Chicago Grill. ‘When the sun goes down you can’t find your way here.’
Although commonly referred to as a landmark in Boston, the sign technically does not hold that title.
‘Many people are mistaken it’s not a national landmark,’ Sawyer explained. ‘Some people on the Landmarks Commission were very eager to keep the sign, so they made deals with everyone around. But the sign is not technically a landmark like everyone thinks.’
Originally built in 1940, the sign acquired the neon glow and the ‘Citgo’ label in 1965. The sign was turned off in 1979 when Gov. Edward J. King wanted to conserve energy. The sign stayed off for four years until 1983, when Citgo decided to dismantle it, but Boston residents came to the sign’s aid and petitioned the Landmarks Commission.
During a Landmarks Commission meeting in 1979, one resident explained the sign’s importance, reportedly saying, ‘Paris has its Eiffel Tower, England has its Big Ben and Boston has its Citgo Sign.’
‘There is nothing else like it in all of New England,’ Sawyer said. ‘It’s certainly the biggest sign around here.’
The sign measures 60 square feet, the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and contains more than five miles of tubing. In total there are 5,878 glass neon tubes, lit by 250 voltage transformers.
‘It’s difficult to preserve,’ Sawyer said, ‘but there is someone up there at least once a week maintaining it.’
‘We had a rough winter, and that can do substantial damage to the tubing,’ he added.
Many Boston University students are unaware of the damage the weather has done to the sign, and the recent murkiness has left students even more in the dark coming home at night.
‘Its hard to find your way back to campus without it,’ said Todd Stankiewicz, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior. ‘Plus it takes away from the characteristics of Kenmore. Without it, Kenmore Square might as well be Coolidge Corner.’
Others said they feel it is not just about getting around Boston the sign represents the BU campus and is a testament to the character of the campus itself.
‘Everyone associates our campus [with] it, so why not make it look good?’ asked College of Communication sophomore Katie Tobin.
‘The city is our campus, and that’s our monument,’ Stankiewicz said. ‘It’s sad that [it] is dark now.’
‘They don’t make them like this anymore,’ Sawyer said. ‘It’s very special and we hope it will come back even better