Kentile Floors Sign Coming Down But Not Going Away
The iconic Kentile Floors sign is coming down despite our best efforts, but it isn’t being destroyed now that a deal’s been reached between the Gowanus community and the sign’s owner, Ely Cohen.
According to a press release from Councilmember Brad Lander, the guy who organized a petition to save the sign, Mr. Cohen has agreed to preserve the letters of the Kentile Floors sign while removing them and then put them in the care of the non-profit Gowanus Alliance.
“Mr. Cohen indicated that removal of the sign was driven by structural and repair needs,” Mr Landers says in the press release. “Long-deferred maintenance of the sign, the dilapidated condition of the warehouse roof, and ongoing structural issues in the building which were aggravated by flooding during Hurricane Sandy led to a need to take action.”
In other words, the warehouse beneath the Kentile sign is in such poor condition that the sign that repairs couldn’t be made to it while also taking care of the sign.
While there’s no word yet on where the sign will go, Mr Landers hopes to find “an ideal location for… re-installation” that will ensure that the sign remains “a much-loved part of the Gowanus landscape.” Any ideas on where they should move the sign?
Follow Nikita Richardson on Twitter @nikitarbk