Salesforce Tower, the tallest skyscraper in San Francisco, was turned into the 'Eye of Sauron' for Halloween

YouTube/Warner Bros

The Eye of Sauron in "Lord of the Rings."

• Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco, was lit up for Halloween to depict the infamous "Eye of Sauron" from "The Lord of the Rings."
• The idea originated from an online petition that had more than 11,000 signatures by Halloween.
• Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, whose company is headquartered in the skyscraper, seemed to shoot down the idea earlier this month. But the glowing eye was widely visible Wednesday night.

As the sun set Wednesday night during Halloween, San Francisco was treated to a surprise. Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in the city's skyline, lit up in fiery colors to depict the "Eye of Sauron," the iconic symbol the Dark Lord adopted in "The Lord of the Rings."

The idea for the skyscraper's Halloween costume first gained traction through a Change.org petition penned at the beginning of the month. By Halloween, the petition had garnered more than 11,000 signatures in support of the tower getting a "Lord of the Rings" makeover.

With 11,000 LED lights making up the screen atop the tower, the glowing eye could be seen clearly against the dark sky around San Francisco.

However, the stunt originally didn't seem likely to happen when Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff quickly shot down the idea earlier this month.

Read more:  Over 1,300 people are asking CEO Marc Benioff to turn Salesforce Tower into the 'Eye of Sauron' on Halloween night - but he's not into it

Although the 1070-foot tall building serves as the software company's HQ, the building - and the display on top - are owned by Boston Properties. The artist in charge of the LED display told reporters in May he would never portray an advertisement or holiday-themed image on the building.

But that apparently didn't stop whoever had the ultimate say for what would appear atop Salesforce Tower on Wednesday. Perhaps they were persuaded by the petition organizers' appeal to "help us unite the city, and raise the torch on Halloween night as one community, together."

Or, perhaps, it was Sauron, with his powerful will and overbearing strength, that convinced them.