Shell Oil Company "Spectacular" Sign
Landmark in Cambridge, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shell Oil Company "Spectacular" Sign is a historic advertising sign by the Shell USA (the US-based subsidiary of Shell plc) located at 187 Magazine Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Shell Oil Company "Spectacular" Sign | |
The sign and filling station pictured in 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°21′24.5″N 71°06′51.9″W |
| Built | 1933 |
| Architect | Donnelly Electric Manufacturing Co. |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000546 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1994 |
History
The Shell USA sign was built in a Moderne style in 1933 by Donnelly Electric Manufacturing Company, and was originally located on the Shell Company building in Boston on Commonwealth Avenue, which now houses Boston University Academy.
![](#/media/File:Shell_Oil_Com_any_"Spectacular"_Sign.JPG)
It was moved to its present site adjacent to Memorial Drive in 1944. It is, along with the Citgo sign in Boston, one of only two surviving advertising signs of its type in the area.[2] Although the regular station signage is updated to reflect the company's current logo, the "Spectacular" sign itself also remains in the same location where it has always been.
The sign was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[1]
