Friday, February 15, 2013

Kentile Sign

VANISHING? (No.)

Over at New York Neon, Thomas Rinaldi got this alarming note about the Kentile sign from an anonymous commenter:

"The sign is coming down during the week of February 18th 2013. Hurry and take your last pictures."


Could this be true? The sign is a Brooklyn landmark--it's even "a place that matters." It has its own Facebook page. It's on t-shirts.

Can anyone confirm or denounce this rumor that Kentile is about to vanish?

*Update: Thanks Andy Newman and Gothamist for tracking this one down and letting us know the Kentile sign is here to stay.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

onemorefoldedsunset said...

Oh, that's too sad. That beautiful stretch of Viaduct train ride will never be the same.

Andy Newman said...

I just spoke to the bldg owner's leasing agent, Brian Kanarek, and he assures me this rumor is NOT TRUE and that the sign is not going anywhere.

- Andy Newman, Bureau Chief, City Room, N.Y. Times,
@andylocal

John said...

Not true, apparently. http://gothamist.com/2013/02/15/kentile_floors_sign_here_to_stay.php

Jeremiah Moss said...

nice sleuthing Andy! and thanks, John, for the Gothamist link. glad to hear it's not going anywhere--for now.

Mildred Fierce said...

C'mon folks. Let's be honest, take off our nostalgia goggles, and admit the sign is actually kind of an eyesore.

RG said...

Been to the great city of New York once. This blog comes closest to the street level views I so fondly remember. Thanks a million. Via Con Dios.

Vince said...

What's wrong with nostalgia goggles? The sign may be an "eyesore," but it's a reminder of the borough's industrial past. A sanitized city is a boring city. Glad to hear the sign is staying.

laura said...

the type face is from a time period, its interesting, it looks good to me. i can live w/out the industrial structure. but compared to the loud & flashy chainstores, it's the epidemy of refinement.

Little Earthquake said...

That's the sign that illuminates my night-snorkeling in the Gowanus!

Brian Dubé said...

That's a relief. The sign and Kentile Floors itself have quite a bit of history, plus it contributes to some great views from the BQE and the F and G trains. There were some things, however, about Kentile's past that weren't so good - asbestos, for example...
http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=1274

genevieve said...

I was raised in Brooklyn and the Kentile sign is part of Brooklyn's fabric. I'm happy that the sign is staying.