As far as I’m concerned, this is the mother of all ghost signs. Located at 2nd Ave. and 9th St. in Brooklyn and easily visible from the Gowanus Expressway and the F train, Kentile once billed itself as “America’s largest manufacturers of super-resilient floor tile.” The company was founded in 1898, and this 8-story high sign dates to approximately 1950. More info at the Municipal Art Society of New York.
Reblogged this on Brooklyn College Inn.
I didn’t mention this in the post, but there was a rampant online rumor last week that this sign will soon be torn down, which reminded me of this photo that I’d been meaning to share here but didn’t get around to until yesterday.
Anyway, the sign isn’t going anywhere for now, and the NYT even published an article addressing the rumor and discussing the history and context of this sign.