Community Corner
Brooklyn's Iconic 'Kentile Floors' Sign May Be Restored In Gowanus Playground
The Gowanus Alliance hopes to erect the sign on ten-foot-high planters under the elevated subway tracks in the Under the Tracks Playground.
GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The iconic Kentile Floors sign soared above Gowanus atop a warehouse at 9th Street and 2nd Avenue for 65 years. The much-loved sign was taken down in 2014, but it may return to the public eye soon, the neighborhood nonprofit group the Gowanus Alliance revealed on Instagram.
The sign was taken down two years ago because it's steel structure was rusting and needed to be scraped and repainted, Brownstoner reports. The warehouse which the sign was perched on was also damaged by Hurricane Sandy and needed roof repairs.
The owner of the warehouse, Elyahu Cohen, donated the sign to the Gowanus Alliance. The organization has been taking care of the sign and working to resurrect it since then.
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2017 will kick off the Kentile Floor sign restoration champaign. Stay tuned for news and events that will kick off our campaign to find Kentile Letters a new Home! .
A photo posted by Gowanus Alliance (@gowanusalliance) on Jan 6, 2017 at 9:14am PST
According to Brownstoner, the group hopes to erect the sign under the elevated subway tracks in the Under the Tracks Playground on 10th St. near 3rd avenue. The letters would be placed on 10-foot-high planters in the park.
Before its sad demise, nothing withstood a #whiteout better than the #kentilefloors sign. #gowanus #brooklyn #tbt #RIP pic.twitter.com/ZWhMtjnaxy
— Crooked Eamon Dolan (@eamondolan) January 6, 2017
The Gowanus Alliance will most likely go before Community Board 6 in the next month or so.
Find out what's happening in Gowanus-Red Hookfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photo: Steven Pisano/Flickr
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