Temple University Muralists Team With Legendary Langhorne Carpet In Historic Penndel Borough To Re-Paint History

PENNDEL, Pa., Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At 1 p.m., Thursday, December 1^st, Langhorne Carpet Company will proudly welcome a new look for the red brick exterior of its historic, Bucks County Wilton Jacquard mill. The 86-year-old company's 20'-by-40' painted signage, once weathered and barely visible along busy business Route 1 (201 W. Lincoln Highway) in the heart of Penndel, now features a fresh, updated, and dramatic restoration. Vital Signs, a project of Temple Contemporary of the Tyler School of Arts of Temple University, co-founded in 2013 collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia, is responsible for the new signage that will be officially revealed at a ceremony including Langhorne weavers, muralists, and local officials.

Langhorne Carpet, whose woven carpets can be found in some of America's most significant buildings, is one of North America's few remaining wool Wilton Jacquard mills. As the latest Vital Signs participant, Langhorne joins other multi-generational Philadelphia-area businesses that have had their building signage brought back to life. Leading the restoration at Langhorne was artist William Sanders and his team of Lauren West, Justin Phillips, Dan Sanders, and Denise Botcheos.

Said Sanders, "Giving new life to the Langhorne sign was a great experience for us to help a local family company that has been in the community for so long. In a nod to both the business' history and the work of the original sign painter, we painted over the existing faded sign by using the same layout and some of the original lettering. We are proud to have played a small part in the enduring Langhorne Carpet Company legacy."

Sanders, Robert Blackson and Sarah Biemiller, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs and Assistant Director of Exhibitions at Temple Contemporary, consulted with fourth-generation Langhorne owners Winnifred and Bill Morrow. The Morrows chose a simplified version of the sign that harkened to the original, which had been painted over multiple times.

The sign now proudly reads:
Langhorne Carpet Company
Manufacturers of the Unusual
The Foundation of Fine Interiors^®
Wilton Carpet
Penndel Proud/Since 1930

"We are thrilled that the talented team from Temple Contemporary selected our family business," said the Morrows. "They had an incredible attention to detail and an extraordinary respect for our heritage. To many it is just a sign; to us it is a masterpiece of a mural that will be cherished and appreciated for generations to come."

SOURCE Langhorne Carpet Company