After being under consideration for the last 28 years the Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the Queens Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City an official New York City landmark. “Its prominent setting and its frequent appearances in pop culture have made it one of the most endearing and recognizable icons on the Queens waterfront,” Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chairwoman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, said in a statement.
Installed in 1936 on top of the long-since-demolished Queens Pepsi bottling plant, the sign has been dismantled and shifted along the Queens waterfront multiple times since the late 1990’s (the current sign is actually a 1994 restoration, as the original sign was severely damaged in a storm). In 2013, a 25 story apartment tower on the Queens waterfront was partially recessed to give the sign more prominence.