For those of us arriving in Boston in fall 1964, as well as for those who lived in the Boston area, the skyline was like nothing ever before. For decades, the old John Hancock Building, at left in the photo below, along with the Custom House Tower closer to the harbor, defined the Boston skyline.

“The Pru” nears completion in 1963

On its completion in 1964, “the Pru” was the new definition of the skyline of the new Boston. In that first year at BC, the Pru, was our orientation when being in the city. (John Hancock got its revenge a dozen years later with the more modern . . . and taller . . . new John Hancock Building.)

The Cities Service sign in Kenmore Square was another helpful marker. Well, for maybe a year, and in the daytime. The old Cities Service sign may have been illuminated but it was not as lit as the Citgo sign that replaced it in 1965. Back then, too, the Citgo sign with neon lights was not as dynamic . . . or as historic . . . as it is today using LED.

The original Cities Service sign, erected in 1940.

Citgo sign, c. 1980