Kentile Coming Down?
This morning, a reader alerted me to scaffolding going up at the Kentile Sign in Gowanus, Brooklyn. A quick check of the Buildings Department web site confirms the worst: on April 17, 2014, DOB issued a permit "to remove existing structure and sign by hand off roof." Looks like this is it, folks.
Kentile. Brooklyn. RIP. (T. Rinaldi)
Screencap from nyc.gov/buildings
For more on Kentile, see this background on the sign, published here back in April 2012. Even as the landmark sign came virtually back to life last month, the permits had already been issued.
Kentile in its prime. (Signs of the Times magazine, used with permission)
Photo showing scaffolding, by way of Jeff Baum's twitter.
Stay tuned for updates as they come in.
Is there any chance this is a repair/renovation thing and it will be reassembled, a la the Parachute Jump?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything we can do about this? Letter-writing, email-sending -- if so, to who?
ReplyDeleteAre they taking it down, just to take it down? Or is it dangerous? Or are they planning on doing something else with the building? If it's not hurting anyone, I'd say leave it. (As if we have any say in the matter.)
ReplyDeleteIt's heartening to see the sign on the F train. It's also beautiful. Little by little the personality of Brooklyn is being taken away.
ReplyDelete