‘X’ logo installed atop Twitter building, spurring San Francisco to investigate permit violation 

City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings, or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons.

Jul 29, 2023

The city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into a giant “X” sign that was installed Friday on top of the downtown building formerly known as Twitter headquarters as owner Elon Musk continues his rebrand of the social media platform.

City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings, or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 26: The outline of the iconic blue Twitter bird logo is visible on a sign in front of X headquarters on July 26, 2023 in San Francisco, California. A day after San Francisco police officers halted the dismantling of the Twitter sign at Twitter headquarters, one of the blue birds has disappeared along with three of the letters. CEO Elon Musk officially rebranded Twitter as “X” and has changed its bird logo, the biggest change he has made since taking over the social media platform. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The X appeared after San Francisco police stopped workers on Monday from removing the brand’s iconic bird and logo from the side of the building, saying they hadn’t taped off the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe if anything fell.

Any replacement letters or symbols would require a permit to ensure “consistency with the historic nature of the building” and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection said earlier this week.

Atlanta ‘Cop City’ activists say they’re confident of getting 70K signatures. But big hurdles remain 
Also Read:
Atlanta ‘Cop City’ activists say they’re confident of getting 70K signatures. But big hurdles remain 

Erecting a sign on top of a building also requires a permit, Hannan said Friday.

“Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation,” he said in an email.

Musk unveiled a new “X” logo to replace Twitter’s famous blue bird as he remakes the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year. The X started appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 24: A photo illustration of the new Twitter logo on July 24, 2023 in London, England. Elon Musk has revealed today a new logo for Twitter, which constitutes the letter ‘X’ as part of a rebrand of the company. (Photo Illustration by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, has long been fascinated with the letter X and had already renamed Twitter’s corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October. One of his children is called “X.” The child’s actual name is a collection of letters and symbols.

On Friday afternoon, a worker on a lift machine made adjustments to the sign and then left.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE