Circle Cinema sign to live on atop new Boston development

Developer National Development will on the evening of September 13 unveil a restored version of the Circle Cinema sign that bestrode the movie house for decades before it and an Applebee’s were sold to make way for a mixed-use development at the site on the Boston-Brookline borderlands.

That 2.5-acre development, which is under construction, is expected to include a 92-unit luxury residential community for seniors, a 162-room AC Hotel by Marriott, and two retail spaces—probably for restaurants—as well as a 188-spot underground parking garage.

And it will include the restored Circle sign, with each letter looming 7 feet and lighted up at nighttime with LED technology.

Such preservation was an olive branch that National Development extended to some in the community concerned about the demise of the theater. Said one resident at a public hearing on the project: “This is our Citgo sign and it needs to be a reminder of the area’s history.”

• Boston's Circle Cinema project to get 'European-style' hotel [Curbed Boston]
• Boston’s Citgo sign will continue to loom over Kenmore Square ‘for decades’ [Curbed Boston]