You’ve seen it. If you’ve ever taken the 7 train over the East River or stood on a pier in Midtown Manhattan at sunset, that massive, glowing red script is basically impossible to miss. The Pepsi Cola Long Island City sign isn't just an advertisement anymore. It's a landmark, a relic, and honestly, a weirdly emotional piece of the New York City skyline for people who live here.
But why is it still there?
The plant it used to sit on top of has been gone for over twenty years. The neighborhood around it, Hunters Point, has swapped industrial warehouses for glass luxury towers that cost four grand a month for a studio. Usually, when the factory dies, the sign dies too. That’s just how development works in New York. Yet, this 120-foot-long hunk of steel and neon managed to survive demolition, corporate rebranding, and even Hurricane Sandy.
How the Pepsi Cola Long Island City Sign Became a Permanent Resident
Back in 1936, the world was a different place. Pepsi-Cola was trying to claw its way into a market dominated by Coca-Cola, and they decided to build a massive bottling plant right on the East River. To make sure everyone in Manhattan knew they were there, they hired Artkraft Strauss—the same company that basically invented the look of Times Square—to build a sign.
It was huge.
The "P" and "C" alone are 44 feet high. To put that in perspective, that’s about the height of a four-story building. When it was first flicked on, it didn't just say "Pepsi-Cola." It actually had a 50-foot-tall Pepsi bottle next to it. It was loud, bright, and deeply industrial. For decades, it blinked over the river, a beacon for the thousands of workers who commuted to the Long Island City waterfront every day.
Then, in 1999, the bottling plant closed.
Usually, this is where the story ends. The land gets sold, the wrecking ball swings, and the neon ends up in a scrap heap or a museum. But something weird happened. People in Queens—and even the folks across the water in Manhattan—realized they actually liked looking at it. It had become part of the visual geography of the city.
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The sign was moved. It wasn't destroyed; it was lowered from the roof of the crumbling plant and placed on a temporary structure about 300 feet away. It sat there for years, looking a bit lonely, until the site was redeveloped into Gantry Plaza State Park. In 2016, after decades of debate, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission finally gave it official landmark status.
That’s a big deal. It means Pepsi, or whoever owns that land, can’t just decide to tear it down because they want to put up a billboard for a new iPhone. It’s protected. It’s art now.
The Design and the Neon Soul
If you look closely at the Pepsi Cola Long Island City sign today, you’ll notice it looks a bit "old school." That’s because it uses a specific 1930s-style cursive that Pepsi doesn’t even use in its branding anymore. The company has changed its logo a dozen times since then, moving toward that circular "globe" look, but the sign stays frozen in time.
The red neon tubing follows the elegant, loopy script of the original logo. It’s hand-blown glass. When a section goes out, a specialist has to climb up there and fix it. It’s high-maintenance.
Why it feels different than a modern billboard
Modern ads are digital. They’re pixels. They change every ten seconds to sell you insurance or sneakers. This sign is physical. It’s made of 8-inch-thick steel and thousands of feet of neon glass.
- Scale: It stretches 120 feet across.
- Visibility: You can see it clearly from the United Nations headquarters.
- The Bottle: The current bottle on the sign isn't the original 1930s version. It was replaced with a more "modern" 1970s-era Pepsi bottle design during a renovation, which creates a funny historical mashup of 1930s text and 1970s graphics.
There’s a certain grit to it. Even when it’s freshly painted, you can feel the industrial history of Queens vibrating off the metal. It reminds you that before LIC was a place for craft cocktails and "luxury" living, it was a place where things were actually made. Sugary water, mostly. But still, something tangible.
The Landmark Battle and the "Corporate Art" Debate
When the city was considering making it a landmark, not everyone was on board. Some purists argued that we shouldn't be protecting "corporate logos." They felt that giving landmark status to a brand was a slippery slope. If we protect Pepsi, do we have to protect a giant McDonald’s "M" in fifty years?
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It’s a fair point.
However, the counter-argument won out: the sign had transcended its purpose. It wasn't selling soda anymore. Nobody sees that sign and suddenly gets an uncontrollable urge to buy a Pepsi. Instead, it serves as a "place-maker." It defines the Long Island City waterfront. Without it, the park is just another nice green space. With it, it’s a specific, iconic New York location.
The compromise was interesting. The sign is technically a "stand-alone" landmark. It doesn't sit on a landmarked building. It just sits there, bolted into the ground in the middle of a park, owned by the company but protected by the city.
Visiting the Site: What You Need to Know
If you’re actually going to head out to see the Pepsi Cola Long Island City sign, don’t just look at it from a distance. You have to walk right up to it.
The sign is located in Gantry Plaza State Park. The best way to get there is the 7 train to Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av. It’s a short walk from there toward the water.
Honestly, the best time to go is right as the sun is going down. The transition from the natural orange of the sunset to the electric buzz of the red neon is spectacular. Plus, you get the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. It’s arguably the best photo op in the entire borough of Queens.
Some quick tips for the trip:
- Bring a jacket. Even in the summer, the wind coming off the East River can be surprisingly sharp.
- Check out the Gantries. Just south of the Pepsi sign are the massive black structures (gantries) that used to lift rail cars onto barges. They are the namesake of the park and just as cool as the sign.
- The LIC Ferry. You can take the NYC Ferry to the Hunters Point South or LIC stops. It’s the same price as a subway ride and gives you a much better view of the sign from the water.
The Surprising Resilience of a Neon Ghost
It’s survived a lot. In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy pushed the East River into the streets of Long Island City, the park was flooded. People thought the electrical components of the sign would be fried for good. But it was built tough. A few repairs later, and it was back to glowing red.
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There was also a weird moment in 2019 when JetBlue (which is headquartered nearby) added their own temporary sign nearby, which caused a bit of a stir. People are protective of their skyline. They don't want it cluttered. The Pepsi sign gets a pass because it’s "grandfathered in," but don't expect the city to let anyone else put up a 40-foot neon logo anytime soon.
What’s really interesting is how the sign has adapted to the digital age. It’s one of the most Instagrammed spots in New York. A sign built to be seen from a boat in 1936 is now perfectly framed for a smartphone screen in 2026. It’s transitioned from industrial marketing to "aesthetic" content without changing a single letter.
Misconceptions People Have
A lot of tourists think the factory is still hidden somewhere behind the sign or underground. Nope. The factory was completely demolished. The luxury apartment buildings you see right behind the sign? Those are sitting exactly where the bottling lines used to run.
Another common mistake is thinking the sign has always been in that exact spot. As mentioned, it’s been shuffled around a bit to accommodate the park and the new buildings. It’s actually lower to the ground now than it was when it was on the factory roof, which makes it feel even bigger when you’re standing underneath it.
Why We Still Care
In a city that is constantly erasing its own history to build something shinier, the Pepsi Cola Long Island City sign is a rare constant. It’s a reminder that Queens has a soul that isn't just about real estate prices.
It represents the era of the "Electric City," where neon was the height of technology and the waterfront was the engine of the world. Even if you’re a die-hard Coca-Cola fan, you have to respect the staying power of those giant red letters. They’ve seen the city change from a manufacturing hub to a financial capital, and now into whatever it’s becoming next.
Actionable Next Steps for Enthusiasts
If you want to dive deeper into the history of the Long Island City waterfront or see the sign for yourself, here is how you should actually do it:
- Plan a "Sign Tour": Start at the Pepsi sign in Gantry Plaza State Park, then head north to the Silvercup Studios sign (another iconic Queens landmark). It’s about a 20-minute walk and gives you a great sense of the neighborhood’s character.
- Visit the Queens Historical Society: If you're a real history nerd, they have archives about the industrial age of Hunters Point and the original construction of the Pepsi plant.
- Photography Tip: Use a wide-angle lens if you’re standing in the park. The sign is so long that a standard phone lens often cuts off the "P" or the "a" unless you back up significantly.
- Support Local: Long Island City has some of the best breweries in the city (like Fifth Hammer or Rockaway Brewing Co.). After you visit the sign, walk a few blocks inland and support the businesses that are keeping the "maker" spirit of LIC alive.
The sign isn't going anywhere. It’s survived corporate mergers and natural disasters, and now it has the law on its side. It remains a glowing, red piece of the past that somehow still fits perfectly into the future of New York.