When Edward Clark Potter was give the mission to sculpt two flanking animals for the New York Public Library ’s main branch at 5thAvenue and 42ndStreet in 1910 , he found himself fielding several trace . Former President and avid hunter Theodore Roosevelt announce he ’d care to see bison . A small group lobbied for beavers in accolade of Library carbon monoxide - beginner John Astor , whose family had made afortunein beaver hide .
A semi - aquatic rodent was n’t noble enough for Potter , who settled on lions—6 feet by 12 feet — to baby-sit as sentries for the magnetic north and south sides of the step . When plaster prototypes of the sculpture wereunveiledin late 1910 , Potter thought they would be a welcome addition to both his portfolio and the growing population of sculpture in the metropolis .
He was incorrect [ PDF ] . mass hated them . It would take a few name changes , gender reassignment , and an economic depression for Potter ’s piece of work to be appreciated — and for people to figure out that he had n’t done it alone .
New York Public Library
Public sculptures — and result public criticism — had become unglamourous play along the end of the Civil War , when hard - won country and turning point led to a strong sentiency of territorial pride . thrower had contributed to the exercise by creating equestrian monuments likeGeneral Grantin Philadelphia . He wasknownas an “ animalier , ” preferring to work with wildlife rather than the human figure , and come in to the library assignment on the recommendation of colleague Augustus Saint - Gaudens .
Like many of his contemporaries , Potter was n’t a solo act . While he used clay to sculpt the contours of his work and would later manufacture a plaster cast , the existent carving was outsource . In this case , the lions lead to the famed Piccirilli family that had a studio in the Bronx ’s Mott Haven neighborhood . Using specialized cutting pecker , the Tuscany - born creative person — patriarch Giuseppe and six son — chiseled away on the same Tennessee marble used for the Lincoln Memorial and Grand Central Station .
The lions went up in 1911 , with Potter receiving $ 8000 and deferred payment for the work . The Piccirillis , who were paid $ 5000 , disliked publicity andrarely signedtheir names to their designation . The Lion were in the first place named Leo Astor and Leo Lenox for library co - founding father John Astor and James Lenox before becoming “ Lady ” Astor and Lord Lenox .
By any name , no one seemed too impressed . The New York Times , which continue a faithful vigil on the public chemical reaction to the sculpture , reportedthat letter writers find the lions too tamed . They were “ mealy - mouthed , ” “ complacent , ” and “ squash - faced . ” One critic compared their coming into court to a crisscross between a river horse and a cow and declared them “ monstrosities . ” Complaints that their mane were too haired actuate urban center officials to lease a carver to chip by at the marble , chip in them a haircut .
New York City Major Fiorello La Guardia had one concluding revision . When the Great Depression bombard the country in the 1930s , he re - name the Lion Patience and Fortitude in guild to remind citizen of the timber they ’d need to make it through a fearsome fiscal position .
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The lion persevered , with the early backlash languish from memory board . After World War II , the two began to stand for holidays — wreaths and floral organization go with seasonal change — and sports fandom , with Mets or Yankees hats sometimes perch atop their head .
Decades of pigeon deposits , go up children , and decoration eventually took their toll . In 2004 , the cityspent two weeksand $ 114,000 to steam - clean and call off the Leo the Lion with a soup-strainer before applying howitzer to expanding chap . After a abbreviated prohibition on accessorizing them , the Libraryallowedfor less - abrasive Christmas decoration in 2013 .
Because the Piccirilli studio closed down in the 1940s following the last of three of the brothers , and the holding was demolished in the sixties , it’sunknownwhich members were responsible for the lions . The details seemed unimportant to them , but their solidarity was in the spirit of the urban center . When askedwhyall of the sibling had made up their minds to become artists , Maso Piccirilli reply , “ There is no brain to it . Our souls are all the same one . ”
