JetBlue logo added to Pepsi Sign, upsets residents

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August 21, 2019 By Shane O'Brien (Update)

The iconic Pepsi-Cola sign in the Gantry Plaza State Park was modified to include a second ad for the first time in its history, causing outrage from the locals.

A blue JetBlue logo was installed on Tuesday under Pepsi's giant red lettering to promote a new partnership between the airline and the soft drink company.

JetBlue announced that it would move from Coca Cola to Pepsi for its in-flight beverage service in May, and the two companies decided to modify the famous panel to celebrate it.

The JetBlue logo is only temporarily posted and will be deleted on October 1, according to the airline.

"We know that people like the Long Island City Pepsi-Cola board, which happens to be also JetBlue's home," an airline spokeswoman said in a statement. "It's a living monument of the Pepsi brand and the city of New York. That's why we think it's the perfect symbol to celebrate our partnership. "

PepsiCo and JetBlue have requested a temporary installation on the iconic brand in July. The decision was approved by the Historic Monuments Preservation Commission without any contribution from local residents on Aug. 14, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Since the change was temporary and lasted less than 180 days, the companies were not required to notify the community or hold a hearing.

Residents expressed their dissatisfaction on social media, one of them photographing the new sign changed on Instagram with the caption "The landmarks must be left alone".

Another resident went on Twitter and said, "Even if it is temporary, it is worrying because the door has been opened. Not happy. Nobody wants that.

The Pepsi Sign became an official monument of the city in 2016 after nearly three decades of deliberation by the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC).

At the time, a spokesperson for the LPC described the signboard as "one of the most iconic features of New York's waterfront and an irreplaceable element of the urban landscape" .

The sign was built in 1936 and was installed at the top of the Pepsi Cola bottling on the East River from 1940 to 1999, when the plant closed. He was then transferred to his current home at Gantry Plaza State Park in 2009 after several years of relocation.

The billboard occupies a visible site for the Upper East Side and the United Nations. Given its location, it will not be blocked by future developments.

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