Iconic Brooklyn Sign Might Come Down

Via the New York Times:

The language of the plans recently approved by the New York City Buildings Department seems unambiguous: A “sign structure to be demolished by hand,” reads the schematic diagram. “Carry debris across roof and dump into chute.” On the diagram is the name of the project: “Full Demolition of Kentile Sign at 111 9th St. Brooklyn, NY.” The sign, an eight-story wonder proclaiming “Kentile Floors” in gorgeous serif letters, has loomed above the industrial badlands near the Gowanus Canal for half a century: first as the mark of a bustling tile factory, more recently as a widely worshiped signifier of Brooklyn cool. News of its intended demise set off cries of say-it-ain’t-so across the borough and beyond.

Only a handful of such giant neon signs remain in Brooklyn: Domino Sugar in Williamsburg, Pepsi-Cola in Long Island City, and Eagle Clothes, which is near the Kentile sign in Gowanus. All of them have devoted fans on Flickr. I still miss all the neon in Times Square, where a few holdouts battle dozens of massive Jumbotrons these days.