Oyster Bar's neon sign was about as utilitarian as its name: it's got the classically red ignited glass tubes shining out the restaurant's name in ageless red.

In February of 2014, Oyster Bar closed after 55 years of business. 

As proponents of Jeremiah's Vanishing New York know all too well, this disappearance of quintessential New York signage, and the establishments that went with them, are vanishing far too frequently.

Hence, our impetus for documenting the all-too-important New York City signs, the signs that've been shining fluorescent lights onto the streets of the city for close to a century, after the neon sign market boomed in this city in the 1930s.

Some of the city's most famous neon signs, like the Pepsi sign in Long Island City, enjoy landmark preservation status.

Others, though? Well, we can just hope they'll continue to persist. Read on to find out what 10 signs we'll forever consider essential to NYC's skyline.

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1. Pepsi-Cola (4610 Center Blvd.)

This 60-foot tall neon sign is an icon fixture on the Hunters Point waterfront in Long Island City. It was built in 1936 by Artkraft Strauss, a sign manufacturer who manufactured man of the Broadway signs and the famous ads on Times Square.

It designated as an NYC landmark in October of 2015 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

When the sign was originally built, it was supposed to stand atop a two-story building that was a part of the Pepsi bottling plant on Long Island City. The plant building was torn down, but the sign was relocated to a short distance away to a residential building at 4610 Center Blvd. 

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2. Wonder Wheel

The Wonder Wheel is an iconic aspect of Coney Island. It's 150-feet-high, and it was built in 1920. Its characteristic sign was built shortly afterward.

It's one of the two oldest signs in Coney Island. The Wonder Wheel's sign, along with Nathan's Famous Hotdogs, were each installed around 1930s.

The tubes themselves have been replaced plenty of times, but according to New York Neon Blog, the uncoated blue and red glow are both unchanged from their original 1930s state.

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3. The New Yorker Hotel

This enormous sign, pronouncing the name of The New Yorker Hotel was first lit in 1941.

During the hotel's money issues between 1967 and 2005, the sign went dark. In late 2005, the sign was rebuilt with LED lights. 

The famous sign's sheen was reignited, and continues to burn its neon brilliance today.

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4. The History Channel Sign in the South Bronx

It's a well-known part of the skyline, and it's sat atop 20 Bruckner Blvd. announcing the History Channel for years.

The building beneath the sign became an ice-making factory years ago, and now it's undergoing extensive renovations that should cost between $18 and $25 million by Madd Equities, a real estate company that teamed up with the building owner to work on the property.

The future of the History Channel's iconic South Bronx sign is tenuous at best, which is why we thought it necessary to preserve the space the sign holds in our hearts, if not the sky, for the rest of time.

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5. Dublin House Bar

The neon sign for Dublin House Bar has been shining since 1933, even during World War II when there were black-out ordinances. 

It remains even though it probably would've been blacked out for the years during World War II. As one of the oldest neon signs still intact in the entire city, it wins the competition for quintessential AF. 

Whenever we see it, we're shot through with a nostalgic feeling for OG NYC.

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6. Radio City Music Hall

Originally installed in 1932, the Radio City Music Hall's neon sign always shone brightly into the heart of NYC's Midtown.

It was eventually refurbished to shine even more brightly than it originally shone. It's obviously entirely classic NYC neon signage. 

Not does its entirely old sign shine with a completely NYC vibe, it's also the largest indoor theatre in the world. Its auditorium stretches an entire city block, at 160 feet. Its ceiling is 84 feet tall.

Our point is, it's definitely a sight to behold. Its shimmering gold stage curtain is the largest in the world, and its Hall contains more than 25,000 lights and four-color stage lighting. You see why we think its signifying sign is so noteworthy? 

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7. Tom's Restaurant 

Located on 112th and Broadway, the neon flashing sign atop Tom's Restaurant has been projected onto millions of American's TV screens. You've seen it. It's the restaurant where the characters of Seinfeld head to have their most noteworthy conversations.

The sign first went up in 1957, and has been shining ever since. It's got a hand-painted finish, which is indicative of the time in which it was erected. 

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8. Drugs (5th Avenue and 17th Street)

It's a silly sign for us contemporaries - drugstores today aren't ignited by a sign that simply reads "drugs," but it's one of the city's very oldest electric signs.

Percy Lomis Sperr photographed the sign during the Great Depression when the New York Public Library sent him to photograph street scenes from the 20s and 30s.

The sign is written in classic 1930s "thick and thin" lettering, produced by NYC's booming neon sign industry in the early-and-mid 1930s. 

The drug store it signified is far gone. Today, the corner hosts a life-sustaining bagel shop instead, which we're pretty okay with.

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9. Katz's Delicatessen 

What's cool about the sign at Katz's Deli is that it's the original neon sign that was first list in 1935. The original sign has survived all 80 years since its installation. 

Katz's itself has been around for 127 years, which means there were 47 years of Katz's existence before its sign proclaim itself flourescently.

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10. Empire Hotel

The sign on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel was built at the same time the Empire Hotel was built in 1923. Though its sign is no longer the original.

The sign alight on top of the hotel today was built in 1960s as a nearly perfect replica of the original. 

Check out 6 Reasons Why Pastrami Will Forever Be Quintessential New York City. 

[Feature Image Courtesy Julep]