It is recognised around the world as an icon of its time, a piece of elegant period design which works as much in silhouette as in real life.  It is timeless, a symbol which encapsulates an era long gone and yet also represents the modern world we live in and the future, yet to come.  For many it is the symbol of an entire nation.  The sight of it conjures up images of monsters and maidens, glamour and adventure, idealised futures and difficult pasts.

What am I talking about?  The TARDIS of course!  But it's true that I could just as easily have been referring to the graceful art deco landmark that is the Empire State Building in New York.  Perhaps that's why one fan club is petitioning to have the whole structure lit up TARDIS blue on 23rd November to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

The club, NYSciFi & Fantasy launched the petition on Change.org to get their home town involved in the anniversary celebrations in a big way.  And why not?  The Doctor has visited New York on a number of occasions after all, the most recent being in last year's The Angels Take Manhattan.  The Empire State Building in particular had a prominent role in both the 1965 First Doctor serial The Chase and the Tenth Doctor episodes Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks from 2007, meaning that its connection with the show spans both the classic and new series and much of the 50 years we're getting ready to celebrate.

The petition, for which NYSciFi &Fantasy currently hope to get 15,000 signatures from all around the world reads:

This is the first time a SciFi show has lasted 50 years. It's a landmark occasion.
The Doctor has visted [sic] NYC many times over the years, most recently earlier this season. Now NYSciFi & Fantasy ... wants to bring NYC to The Doctor to celebrate!
We are attempting to partner with the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com) to make this happen (all official paperwork was submitted to the Empire State Building on 9/23/13). Help show just how popular this show is by signing the petition and sharing the link. Spread the word via facebook, Twitter, or any way you can! Allons-y!

Currently there is no mention of any response from Empire State Building Associates, so how likely this is to happen regardless of the number of signatures is hard to tell, but I for one am all for it.  It's only for one day in the year, after all and I rather think that this is one skyscraper which will look extremely pretty in blue, so much so that I bet all the other buildings would be green with envy!

Ahem.

You can read and sign the petition yourself here.