Thursday, February 4, 2010

TRIVIA BITS … NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

TRIVIA BITS …

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

New_York_Public_Library

The famous pair of marble lions that sit by the stairs of The New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan are named Patience (south side) and Fortitude (north side). new-york-public-library-lion-2

0801NYPL Lion

They were so named by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in the 1930s to give New Yorkers a sense of survival during the Depression.

new-york-public-library-lion-1

However, these are not the original names for the lions.

They were first named Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, in honor of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox, founders of the New York Public Library. Then they were called Lord Astor and Lady Lenox (both lions are males), before being given the names Patience and Fortitude.

cid_cr1184_b r7765201

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