Every city has its signature items. Aside from its jaw-dropping skyline, New York is associated with yellow taxi cabs, dirty water dogs and hordes of disgruntled commuters. But beyond the obvious, there are plenty of lesser known fixtures that have also become synonymous with the city. Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing select signs that decorate the top of buildings, hang off the side of walls and advertise businesses. Here’s a look at 10 iconic signs in New York City.
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located at 1260 Avenue of the Americas at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Nicknamed the Showplace of the Nation, it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city. Its unique Art Deco design, uncommon for a theater of its time, and its iconic neon facade have become a symbol of New York to rival the Empire State Building or Times Square. The sign itself was installed in 1932, although it was later refurbished to make the neon brighter.
Katz’s Delicatessen
The famous Katz’s Deli, the site of the Meg Ryan orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally…, still has its original 1935 neon signage.
New Yorker Hotel
Built in 1929, this stylish Jazz Age hotel is across the street from Penn Station, and less than a mile from both the Empire State Building and the High Line. In 1967 one of the most iconic signs in New York City “went dark,” and remained so for nearly 40 years as the hotel underwent various changes in management. Due to competition from other Midtown hotels, and a decline in popularity, it shuttered temporarily in 1972, but would reopen in 1994. In 2005, its famous sign was rebuilt with new 20-foot letters, where were fitted with LED lights.
Essex House
The JW Marriott Essex House, a 44-story luxury hotel (160 Central Park South) that opened in 1931, is easily recognized by its six-story neon sign. It was erected in 1932, the same year the U.S. Government’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation took the hotel from its original owners, who had become bankrupt following the Great Depression. Like The New Yorker Hotel, the Essex House fell under the management of several owners before officially becoming the JW Marriott Essex House. To this day, its sign is frequently featured in popular culture, including in photographs, movies and television shows.
Domino Sugar
Brooklyn’s famous Domino Sugar Factory is currently in the midst of transformation. The former refinery, which shuttered in 2014, will become the heart of a 6.6-acre waterfront park, which will be situated in a mixed-use neighborhood being built by Two Trees Management. The sign, which has been a fixture of the factory since the 1920s, was removed in 2014. According to NY Daily News, it was transferred to an undisclosed location, and will be restored and eventually re-installed on the development site.
Hotel Empire
The building opened in 1923 with its iconic red neon sign displayed on its rooftop. Today, it’s one of the city’s oldest, and most well-known hotels — thanks, in part, to its role in CW’s show, Gossip Girl. In the 1960 soriginal sign was made and that’s what is on view today.
Coney Island
Coney Island is full of flashy signs that advertise its many attractions, including one of its oldest and most beloved rides, the 150-feet Wonder Wheel (built between 1918 and 1920) and the Cyclone, a historic wooden roller coaster that opened in 1927.
Apollo Theater
The shining lights of the Apollo sign are a beacon for tourists rushing through 125th street in central Harlem. In 2005, the Apollo Theater unveiled its fully refurbished terracotta facade, a stainless steel and glass storefront and a digital marquee, which utilizes programmable LED visuals, but stays true to the vintage style of the 1940’s.
Pepsi Cola
The cursive Pepsi-Cola sign, a remnant of a Pepsi bottling plant that shuttered in 1999, has called Long Island City home since 1936. In 2009, it was lowered from its original location and placed in its current waterfront position at Gantry Plaza State Park. In 2016, the 60-foot-sign — a vestige of a time when the neighorbor was covered in factories and warehouses — was officially designated a New York City landmark.
Silvercup Studios
Silvercup Studios, the largest film and television production facility in New York City, has two locations in Long Island City and one in the Bronx. Its iconic sign, however, sits on top of the main Long Island City outpost, which occupies the former Silvercup Bakery building. The sign was originally built for the bakery around 1961. It initially read “Silvertop Bread” but has since been adapted for the studio once it took over the space in 1983.
