The Boston skyline’s iconic CITGO sign will soon be moved and reconstructed as part of the final phase of the One Kenmore Square redevelopment on Beacon Street, project and company leadership who brokered a deal to restore it said.

The sign, a fixture of the city’s skyline for more than 60 years, is being repositioned 30 feet higher and 120 feet to the east to restore the original viewshed corridor, ensuring that it will remain a landmark that has become synonymous with the final stretch of the Boston Marathon, Red Sox games and Kenmore Square.

“The CITGO sign has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the city of Boston,” Karl Schmidt, vice president of supply and marketing at CITGO Petroleum, said Thursday at a press conference on the top floor of 660 Beacon St., as the decades-old sign loomed in the background.

Originally installed as the Cities Service sign in 1940 before being reinstalled in 1965 as part of the introduction of the CITGO brand, the “CITGO sign has long served as a visual and cultural anchor for Kenmore Square in the city of Boston,” Schmidt said.

“With the federal and state exemption in hand, CITGO is ready to take this final step in the redevelopment process of this iconic site, ensuring that our beloved CITGO sign will continue to illuminate Kenmore Square and the city of Boston skyline for generations to come,” Schmidt said.

The sign has become synonymous with the Boston Marathon, serving as a marker for generations of runners reaching the final mile of the race. It’s also often visible behind the Green Monster at Fenway Park during Red Sox games, and has become a landmark for residents and visitors of the city.

An agreement to preserve the sign was reached in 2019 between CITGO, Related Beal (the company that purchased One Kenmore at 660 Beacon St. and is behind the mixed-use lab and office development), Boston University and then-Mayor Marty Walsh, according to a spokesperson for Related Beal.

CITGO officials explained Thursday that moving the massive sign will require it to be taken apart piece by piece, and rebuilt in its new sight corridors. Not only does the sign need to be rebuilt and repositioned to accommodate the One Kenmore Square development, but also to stabilize the structure, given that the steel that anchors it has been in place since the 1960s and has reached the end of its useful life.

“The project will include construction of a new truss structure built into the existing anchor platform, which is built into the core and roof of 660 Beacon St., while the sign’s overall height and dimensions remain the same,” Schmidt said. “This identified location will reestablish the original lines of sight.”

The steel truss is approximately 90 feet tall to support the 60 by 60 foot CITGO sign. Originally, the sign was lit by neon lights, but in 2005, they were changed to LED lights, with about 218,000 used to illuminate the sign in the night sky.

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While there’s been no risk of collapse thus far, the sign has been subject to a past fire, according to Pam Beale, president of the Kenmore Square Business Association, owner of Cornwalls, and longtime resident of the neighborhood.

“This sign has stood as both the beacon of Kenmore Square and a beloved symbol of Boston,” Beale said. “Moving the sign is an important milestone for this community, because it is about preserving an iconic sign, and it is also a reflection of a shared commitment to the future of this neighborhood.”

Suffolk Construction is the project contractor and work is expected to begin in the “near future,” Schmidt said, after receiving final City Hall approval in October.

“Today, we get to say that for future generations, this sign will be present and visible,” said Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who represents the neighborhood. “This sign is incredibly important to the fabric of Kenmore Square, and today we have no question about its future.”

The 60-year-old iconic CITGO sign is scheduled to be disassembled, refurbished and moved 120 feet to an adjacent rooftop. The sign will be 30 feet higher. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)