Kentile Floors II
by Lilliana Mendez
Title
Kentile Floors II
Artist
Lilliana Mendez
Medium
Photograph - Photographs
Description
This is my second version of this photo as I learned that this Iconic Brooklyn, NY Kentile Floors Sign is being dismantled in 2014. This sign is a part of Brooklyn, NY's history as it has stood at this location for over a century.
Founded in 1898 by Arthur Kennedy in Brooklyn, New York, Kentile Floors produced vinyl, cork and rubber floor tiles. Kentile specialized in large durable tiles made of a range of materials that were available in dozens of colors and patterns. By 1949, the company produced asphalt-based tiles and emerged as an industry leader. It advertised in Popular Science Magazine and similar publications in 1954, and its product prices were competitive against rivals like Armstrong, Congoleum-Nairin and Montgomery. The company even offered of a consumer-install option, alleviating the need for professional installation.
During the 1950s and '60s, Kentile Floors was one of America's largest manufacturers of super-resilient floor tile, and it was a national tile distributor. The company's asphalt and vinyl tile products contained asbestos to increase the tiles durability and resistance to fire. Kentile sold products that contained as much as 25 percent asbestos, without consideration to the health effects associated with asbestos exposure.
While some would say the company is best known for its landmark eight-story sign visible from the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn, Kentile is remembered by asbestos victims as responsible for disease and cancer, caused by their asbestos-containing products. Flooring tiles defined the company's product line, but the materials within the flooring tiles trailed the company's legacy. Even after the company went out of business in the 1990s, asbestos lawsuits against the company continued.
Uploaded
June 24th, 2014
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