Boston's iconic Citgo sign is back, sort of. When renovations are expected to be complete.
Bostonians, the beacon is back in Kenmore Square. Well, sort of. For those people walking or driving down Commonwealth Avenue, it's a bit of a fabric fabrication. The Citgo sign started to come down in late May but now has been partially rebuilt with a tarp replica on one side. The development has Red Sox fans wondering if the iconic symbol will be rebuilt in time for a potential postseason run.
"We walked here, and that was the first sign that I knew that's where Fenway is, even though it was half up," said Austin Hipson, a Red Sox fan from Montreal.
On May 29, the sign began being dismantled. Construction crews are moving it 30 feet higher and 120 feet to the east to a spot with a better view.
"Then, little ants turned up on the frame of the sign, which turned out to be sign workers," said Tim Ney, a Kenmore area resident who has watched the progress. "I watched the sign moving down the street on a tractor-trailer."
As crews began reconstructing it at its new location on 660 Beacon St., the shape of it began to look more like a popular hand gesture used by drivers on nearby Storrow Drive.
"One day it was in pieces and gone, and then just a frame that some people thought was a middle finger symbol," said Ney. "I could see where people would read that into it, particularly with the Sox having a rough time at that moment."
Five days after crews started to dismantle it, the then lowly Sox began a 15-game win streak that turned their season around. It's left some fans to question if the Citgo sign was holding them back.
"I feel like the Red Sox went on their winning streak, but they kind of slowed down a little bit," said Sox fan Noah Demarco. "They should keep that tarp there. When they come back to Fenway next week, we will see."
Perhaps, the sign's return for the playoffs is what the team needs for a spark. A Citgo spokesperson told WBZ they expect it to be complete by the end of October, with one side being finished first before they tackle the electrical components inside. It may just get done during the season if the Red Sox have a long postseason run.
"To worry about it in a sense of losing, I don't know. I think once we beat the Yankees, came back on them, won the titles and all of that, I think we should get rid of all that bad luck stuff," said Hipson, likening the Citgo sign to the Sox ending the Curse of the Bambino. "Don't worry about it. We make our own luck."
The Citgo sign is being rebuilt with new parts that will look identical to the original; however, some of the original pieces are still around. The "C" has been installed in the window of Cornwall's Tavern at the base of the building where the sign sits.
